FUJIFILM X-Pro3 (23mm, f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO160)

When you are a child you can’t wait for Christmas eve because of excitement, now Christmas can’t come early enough because of exhaustion.

I’m writing this a day before Christmas. Work for this year is finally done. I’m tired, I’m exhausted. Luckily I already finished my Christmas shopping because tomorrow I’m going to rest. Every year before Christmas my batteries are empty but this year it is worse and I think I know why.

Just when we finally got the upper hand on Covid-19 (19!) a war broke loose in the Ukraine which caused immense human suffering and a refuge and an energy crisis. Inflation is higher than it every was during my lifetime and I wasn’t exactly born yesterday. After 2020 and 2021 we all had high hopes that 2022 would be a better year.

Not everything was bad though. The pandemic is over and we got rid of the masks. Finally we can see other peoples faces and we meet in the real world again, not only in teams or zoom. After two years I could visit my distribution partners again. I visited South Korea once and Japan two times this year.

The first time I visited Japan in May when the country was still closed for tourists. I needed an invitation and I had to apply for a single entry visa. The trains and restaurants were empty and Narita airport was a ghost town. My second visit was in late November, early December and it was completely different. People still wore masks even outside of buildings but the restaurants and shopping centres were bursting with life. What a difference! Japan is back! After all not everything was bad in 2022.

Just like the beautiful fake little mermaid* looks out on the ocean we all look forward and wonder what 2023 will bring. Maybe it will even bring peace! Merry Christmas! Try to bring some love and peace. We can make a difference.

*the real one stands in Copenhagen and I could swear that the Japanese version wasn’t there 6 years ago when I first visited Osaka harbour on my very first trip to Japan.