Here in Japan, March not only marks the end of the school year, but for many companies it is also the end of the financial and business year. It will be time again for graduations and farewells, and for many people to move and make changes.
In April, many things begin anew, not only for the students, who have to deal with new classes, new teachers and sometimes also with new schools. Companies also start to rotate, and if you can't hold on to your warm office chair, you might end up in a new department where you have to start over again to get your bearings and find your feet. Public offices are usually reorganized every three years, and if you're unlucky, you end up in an department that you didn't even know that it existed. The sense and nonsense of these personnel changes can be debated, but they have been part of the entrenched traditions in the Japanese working world for ages.
Of course, every change offers the chance for a fresh start and personal improvement, but if we are really honest, very few of us really want to be transferred every few years and say goodbye to what we have finally become accustomed to.
I feel the same way, and I have to confess that I would love to continue doing exactly what I've been doing lately. Sure there is room for improvement on all sides, but still I would prefer to avoid any changes and extend the recent present far into the future. Just as it is today and was yesterday, that's exactly what I would be completely satisfied with.
But unfortunately things will end of differently and I will be confronted with some decisions that others have made for me. And which will hit me with such short notice that I will have little time to redispose. Unfortunately I have to admit that I am less flexible and spontaneous than I used to be, and over time I have become a great friend of planning security. But at the beginning of April I will probably again be faced with some unfortunate circumstances over which I have rather less influence, but of which I will feel the consequences all the more.
At least it seems that here in Japan we will finally be able to leave the exhausting situation of the last three years behind us. Let's see whether people will then return to what used to be normal in their jobs and everyday lives. Partly I doubt it, but I like to be surprised and to be corrected.
At least this month I will try to put off the upcoming challenges for the time being. Fortunately, right now I have the chance to distract myself and to engage in something much more pleasant. And when April arrives, I'll just do my best to face all the challenges in front of me. So far it has always worked out in the end, so I'm quite optimistic about this year as well.