We Never Know How Things Will Go, and Ain’t That Beautiful

Perhaps what comes next will be far different, and far better, than we can possibly imagine.

Vincent Van Patten
4 min readNov 27, 2023

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Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto Japan. Photo of the author.

When I came home from my first visit to Japan in 2019, it was Christmas Eve and I was a shell of myself. That trip opened my eyes and heart, for I realized while traveling what I truly want to make of my life.

I want to be a full-time creator, exploring frontiers of meaning both out in the world and within myself. I crave an adventure of the heart and soul.

That vision of what I want and whom I long to be has guided me like my North Star ever since that first trip to Japan, where in a moment, everything changed.

My friends and I were sailing above Tokyo Bay; rain clouded the windows of the train; with the world around me dripping in silver, my mind smoldered with thoughts of potential.

I want to live here, I thought realistically for the first time.

I want to get out into the world permanently, and share how it makes me feel.

I returned home and could barely talk to my family because I felt so torn; I couldn’t explain what I’d experienced. I’d just had a taste of the adventure I crave, but I couldn’t wrap my mind around how to make that my…

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