Mid afternoon rambling

(POST RANT) It seems I've come down with a bad case of writer's block. As the week has flown by without updates, I am left with a memory card full of photos, and too much to recount at once. I apologize for my recent lack of dedication, but I promise to fill everyone in on the week's events soon. For now I leave you with this...

I've learned a lot in the past 6 months about relationships; how easily they can be formed, and also how quickly people move in and out of your life. I didn't come to Japan with the expectation of making lifelong friends, but I have come to realize in the past weeks, that life is too short to not fully embrace the potential relationships this industry hands us. Nothing is as powerful as a simple 'hello'. You could be meeting your best friend, your soulmate, or at worst, someone you may never speak to again. But is it not worth the risk? In the modeling industry, it's very easy to lose touch with people, as we are being placed all around the world, sometimes for less than weeks at a time. We are thrown into an apartment, often with a handful of strangers, who we may have nothing more in common with than our 5'10, lean figure. Although we begin to run into the same faces over and over again, those we keep in close contact with are few and far between. It can be lonely at times, but I've learned through this that many of my friends are simply people I know by association, and have been forced to get along with because they are a part of my daily routine (when I have one). Don't get me wrong, I have formed some very close bonds this way. I have also learned, though, that once distance is added to the equation, it is very easy to grow apart. This is why I have made some of my closest friends in the fashion industry. Because amongst the traffic of models zooming around the world, somewhere in the mass of friends come and gone, we meet someone too important to let pass through our lives. I have lost some people close to me this year, but also made some amazing contacts. This trip has really opened my eyes in terms of who my friends are, and how many I have left to meet. Although this may seem unsettling, I'm have come to accept that those who are meant to stay in our lives will, and the friendships we form for short periods of time can be just as impactful, if not lasting.