I made this little drawing on a dry erase board behind the desk of my Japanese sidekick, Kai. There’s a picture on his desk of him and his wife at the beach. He’s got on these coolio shades and has a cigarette hanging out the corner of his mouth. Very chic! He was on vacation the day I drew this, so we could just look over there and not miss him.
With just over a month left, I find myself reflecting over the past 14 years here. It’s been a wonderful adventure, and I really hate seeing it all come to an end. I especially despise the fact that all these fantastic people will now be without a job (including me!). And right at the holiday season, too. The company I work for has a one-word slogan: Mottainai, which is difficult to translate effectively, but it means something along the lines of “what a waste“, as in “after all the years of training and experience the fine people here have gained, what a waste it is to see them all out of a job and not being utilized to their fullest“.
But… life goes on, and here’s a drawing for you to look at, that never would have happened if this company hadn’t given me the opportunity to contribute to it’s bottom line. Thank you Mr. Yazaki.
Kai!
