A Snail Climbing Mt. Fuji

Travel and Apostrophes

A snail about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

“A Snail Climbing Mt. Fuji”

蝸牛

そろそろ登れ

富士の山

English Translation:

O snail,

Climb Mt. Fuji,

But slowly, slowly!

[Kobayashi Isso, Edo Period]

I made my rounds across the United States and finally, after decades of wonder, finally fucked off to Japan this past month.

To say it was great is an understatement. We stayed in the heart of Japan, frequenting Don Quixotes, 7-Elevens, and Uniqlo to meet our tourist quota.

We walked 20,000 steps a day. We analyzed maps of their metro system. We ate rice and ramen and vending machine canned corn and we blissfully, arrogantly walked through a land with the wrong language on our tongues.

We saw temples proudly surrounded by discount stores and merchant stalls hawking their wares. We played charades at restaurants and stood on the opposite side of the streets at all times. We did so much and saw so much but the traveling there made me realize: it will never be enough.

I will never learn enough about this culture. I will never see enough of this world. I will never travel exactly as I did these past few weeks with just a backpack and my passport.

This world we see and the life we live shares a finiteness to different degrees and to fill the latter with the former demands choices of desire and neglect.

It may never feel like enough, but we can sure as hell try.

Be like the snail. Climbing Mt. Fuji. Hilarious, adorable, kind of unreasonable. But the snail has a goal. It is working towards that goal every day, feeling inadequate but persisting nonetheless. Progress coming in small doses but the beauty of the destination unsurpassed by the journey it takes to get there.

This snail bro is going hard. He’s probably been traveling for 3 hours at this point. Go him.

Traveling abroad to a country I’ve always dreamed of visiting has given me an appreciation for life and the things I have and a gentle dismissal of the things I want.

Why not go on that trip? Write that book? Befriend that barista?

Enjoy the little moments because that’s what life is made up of anyways, the little moments.

And remember that the journey is the most important part of any goal you set yourself on.

So might as well make it a good one.

Don’t let the vision of the end keep you from enjoying the journey it takes to get there.