trail of tears

So today is an unexpectedly sad day for me.

Jess finished his internship on Friday, but we don't go to Hong Kong (for school) until Sunday, so we have a week of free time - Jess' first opportunity to live the life I've been living for the past four weeks. However, because the apartment was arranged for us by his law firm, we're sort of out of a place to live for a week. So we're moving to a hotel and staying with some friends until we leave. Secretly, I'm excited for the hotel as I'll have a soft bed and a maid, but mostly I'm sad.

I went for my last run on the trail around the Imperial Palace today, and because the heavens decided to smile on me, my knee held out for the whole loop with very little pain (usually it's screaming a couple minutes into it). It isn't a particularly beautiful day, but it was particularly beautiful to me as it will be my last run there. Our hotel isn't near the Palace, so I'll be hitting the downtown Tokyo pavement instead.

I didn't expect to be so sad, but every time I even think about leaving, I tear up. I know I have a week left, but there's something about leaving the Palace, my Palace, that really gets to me. When I got here, the Palace instantly became my landmark, but even more so, my constant. I knew I could walk a couple blocks and see it. I knew that every morning I had somewhere to run, somewhere to do my thinking, a place that was mine, even if for just forty minutes a day. As we prepared to come to Asia, I worried I wouldn't be able to find that, something reliable, as I thrive on order and structure. But the Palace became that to me. It's immovable and beautiful, and exactly what I needed.

It's funny how much I've grown to love this place, especially when I wasn't even sure I would come. I'm so glad I did.

And now I don't want to leave.

PHOTO: That's me running on the trail. Sometimes I would walk with Jess to work down the hill and then run home. One day he had his camera. :)