The dance of progress

We are now firmly in a phase of two steps forward, one step back. It's like living a bad waltz. Let's try not to bump into the other dancers in the ballroom.

• After yesterday's scare over radioactive iodine in the Tokyo water supply, we discovered that it was already halved by this morning. The mad rush to buy bottled water and the city's plans to distribute safe water to families with infants turns out to be unnecessary.
• There is an increasing number of agricultural products being banned from the shelves due to high levels of cesium and iodine, but tests are in place to catch them and the food supply is safe.
• At Fukushima today two workers had to go to hospital for getting their feet exposed to radiation, but thanks to their brave work things are moving in a positive direction towards bringing the plant back under control.
• Starting tomorrow TEPCO is more finely dividing the blackout groupings and they've told us that residential central Tokyo (that would be me) is the next to be grouped up and turned off.

The awkward shuffle of progress is going to go on a long time. I hope we will all be able to relax and take a break at the punchbowl. But it seems like my dance card is filling up with partners new and old. I have more dances to learn and my shoes are starting to pinch. I still haven't cried.

But even in this seemingly endless procession of steps, there are a few special flourishes and beautiful turns.

I had a lovely chat with a friend this afternoon. We hadn't connected since the quake and though we each knew the other was safe (thanks again, Facebook), we'd tangoed through the challenges of the last two weeks in separate spheres of influence. As a result, our conversation was totally different than the others I've had with friends recently. 

We came to this talk with a desire to collaborate and aid the disaster victims, because like lots of people we are turning focus northward now. And unexpectedly, we each revealed similar personal revelations. It was as if the quake had shaken loose some mental plates inside our heads or taught us to jitterbug with our souls. There's a desire and acceptance for even more change in our lives. Things that were important before are now inconsequential and so many concerns from back then feel superficial. Oh, that dance was so two weeks ago! We have new perspectives but there are certain elements that will never lose importance: love, friendship and connections.

I'm sure this isn't the last conversation I will have with friends about new priorities. The earthquake has brought out such interesting traits in all of us.

Speaking of traits, a few days ago or maybe it was BQ (before quake), I saw a funny series of videos where the actress acted out the stereotypes of each astrological sign. I was fascinated and horrified by the portrayal of my own sign, Aries, and also a little scared at its accuracy. I checked out the signs of my dears and darlings...all were correct to some degree. Here's the Aries one; I'll leave it to you to click through to find your own star sign. It will be entertaining or possibly slightly embarrassing.