When I introduced myself on the first day of the retreat, I said, “I don’t think I could have come here on my own.I think everyone brought me here.”

I had wonderful encounters with people I would never have met if I hadn’t participated in the retreat.

I feel very lonely thinking that I will never be able to see all the participants again.

I know my English is difficult, but I wanted to talk and listen to many things with everyone more. I am disappointed.

https://www.upaya.org/2024/07/inner-practice-of-medicine-reflection-by-clayton-dalton-md/?ct=t(newsletter_COPY_01)&mc_cid=b7089e6c55&mc_eid=8acef69cdd

I want this stay in Santa Fe to be the next step in my life, not just a chance to make memories like a trip abroad.

It will probably depend on my future actions.

I plan to participate again next year.

https://www.upaya.org/program/inner-practice-of-medicine-in-person-2025/

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I arrived in Santa Fe from Japan via Denver Airport after a one-day journey.

I’m surprised at myself for making it this far.

Thirty doctors and medical students from Hawaii, the United States, Canada, and primarily North America will gather here to spend three days.

For someone like me who doesn’t speak English, the sunlight in Santa Fe is overwhelmingly strong and almost painful.

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I came across a paper that gave me a new perspective.

https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_innovators_tale_of_the_phoenix_and_dragon#

This isn’t a question of which is better, Dragon or Phoenix, but based on this paper, I think I’d go with Dragon.

No, maybe it’s a dragon that admires the Phoenix…

No, maybe it’s just a chicken that can’t become a dragon or a phoenix (lol).

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https://www.upaya.org/program/inner-practice-of-medicine-in-person-2024/?ct=t(lojong-2021-09-29_COPY_01)&mc_cid=520e0a4bc9

Even though I’m not good at English or anything, I often wonder why I go all the way to Santa Fe.

Even when people made fun of me and asked me, “Does it mean anything to you to go there?” I couldn’t respond well, which was very frustrating.

However, I think there are things I can’t experience in Japan, such as meeting the kind people who gather here.

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I saw the movie “Uzumasa Limelight” starring Seizo Fukumoto in Kyoto.

Seizo Fukumoto was an actor who was active in historical dramas on Japanese TV and movies, and passed away in 2021.

He also co-starred with Tom Cruise in the movie The Last Samurai.

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