25 years ago...

This day

in 1985 

I was born in

Tokyo, Japan.

I had a huge belly button

and I was so embarrassed 

as a child.

I never liked showing 

my stomach 

because of that.

Now, 

my belly button

no longer looks

like a button.

25 years 

can change a lot of things

but there are 

also so many things 

that don't change 

no matter how many years pass.

*************************************

A few years ago

on my birthday,

I started to think
that 
a birthday is a day 
I ought to say

thank you 

to parents 

to my sisters

 to my relatives

and friends and 

everybody 

who touched my life.

So, 

thank you so much.

If it wasn't 

for all of you,

I wouldn't have been here.

I adore every bits 

of my life.

Even the ones

that were a little bit 

painful back then.

I have been thinking

about the word 

'respect.'

That is my big goal 

of this year and forever.

To live 

a life that I can respect.

To meet 

many people, 

to see

many things 

that inspire me 

to go up up higher.