March 11, 2026

My brother is the strongest person I've ever known. He survived so many hardships that I started to believe he could survive anything, that he was invincible. I worried about him a lot, yes, but when you've seen someone survive unimaginable things, it's not hard to believe that they'll make it through the next one too.

I am going through a particularly tough time in my life right now. I feel like that's my life a lot of the time, to the extent that I've just stopped talking about life because I don't want to complain.

I gained a lot of strength this morning from watching some lecture videos of my brother on YouTube. "He is so smart," I thought as I watched him inspire others. I also noted that the crowd was not laughing enough at his jokes. Maybe they didn't know they were allowed to because it was a lecture. My brother is hilarious. Don't try to hold in the laughter. It's not healthy. He continues to inspire me from beyond the veil.

My brother saw so much potential in me. More importantly, he saw my value, gifts, and talents in the present. He wasn't waiting for something to be uncovered or developed. He could already see who I was. He saw me for me and loved me to the ends of the universe. Always.

This is a picture he posted on his Instagram when he'd come to visit me in Japan. I was staying with him for a bit before I flew out to spend my senior year of university in Kyoto. I was elated, but the sudden transition of leaving someone you love so much to travel into the unknown was a lot. 

When my brother saw me crying, he promised to come and visit me in Japan. He didn't want me to feel alone. He kept his promise. That visit is one of the best times of my life. I wish I had taken more photos and videos. I'm grateful that we took this one. 

Things are getting better. I'm tired of feeling how I've been feeling, so I'm rooting my hands in the dirt again. There is work to be done, but not without love.

Ad astra per aspera.