Ninety Days, Fourteenth Move, and One New Chapter

Ninety days....

That’s how long the countdown timer has been running.

In the ninety days, our youngest son graduated high school. Our dog moved back to the US. We bought and renovated a new property in Yokohama, a place that becomes our getaway Japanese home. Quickly and intentionally we infused it with late-night laughter and boxes stacked high—filled with personal memories and artifacts that, in the end, are just things until you remember the stories they hold.

And in the swirl of it all, we said sayonara.

To friends who became family.

To streets that became familiar.

To a life that, for a while, felt like forever.

But here’s the thing: this isn’t really about endings.

It’s about the audacity to begin again.

Today, I find myself in California. A place I’ve called home before, but never quite like this. Each return feels layered—like slipping into an old sweater that somehow fits differently every time. The kids are at different stages. The dog is older—and dare I say—wiser. My husband and I are eyeing this next season with curiosity. Soon, our youngest will head off to college, all the boys will be exactly where they need to be right now, and we’ll be carving out a new normal.

I’ve been asking myself: Do we spend this summer mourning the life we left in Japan? Or do we choose to embrace the new chapter unfolding here?

The truth is, it’s a mindset.

Yes, we are home—to welcoming arms and familiar landscapes. But it’s not the same. And I’m going to be bold and say: we are not the same.

I have changed.

We have changed.

The world has changed.

And yet, here we are, making our 14th international move. Placing one foot firmly on California soil… while the other hovers just above.

Because perhaps the secret isn’t about rooting in a place.

Maybe, just maybe, the roots live inside of us.

And when you carry your sense of home within, there is no reason to fear the next beginning.

Here’s to every woman daring to start over..to reinvent herself, to embrace the unknown, to remember that endings are merely invitations to become more of who you really are.

If you’re standing in the in-between—honoring what was and reaching for what’s next—know that you are not alone. I am here with you.

Here’s to fresh chapters, wherever in the world they take you 🩷

Munisha xx