Listentothesheepman

A busy week for Whitebait. Peaks and troughs sort of thing. Spent a day on a funding application that might help get his peripatetic fish-being self to Sapporo for a conference later this year, only to be told as he handed it in to a necessary institutional intermediary that it would be ineligible. Overnight, Whitebait gets depressed about the waste of work and decides the trip may have to be cancelled. Next day ... a miraculous ‘save’ occurs … Whitebait is still in with a chance.

These sudden ups and downs are intensifying at the moment. Partly because Whitebait is about to uproot for seven months. He heads to Japan on 4^th July. Going for seven months. And it only seems real because Whitebait has now had to say enough times to friends, colleagues and students – er, sorry, I can’t do that because I’ll be, um, living in Tokyo. All very exiting in its own way but also anxiety inducing in that so far the house in Melbourne hasn’t been sublet (fell through) and he and Fraulein Dr Dr don’t actually have anywhere to live in one of the world’s biggest and most pricey cities, and there are a thousand and one other things to do in the next two months.

But Sapporo also indirectly offers excellent advice. This is where the central character and narrator of one of Haruki Murakami’s novels--Dance, Dance, Dance--travels. To the Dolphin Hotel to see the Sheep Man and take his excellent advice.

"Dance," said the Sheep Man."Yougottadance. Aslongasthemusicplays. Yougottadance.Don'teventhinkwhy.Starttothink, yourfeetstop. Yourfeetstop, wegetstuck. Wegetstuck, you’restuck. Sodon’tpayanymind, nomatterhowdumb. Yougottakeepthestep. Yougottalimberup. Yougottaloosenwhatyoubolteddown. Yougottauseallyougot. Weknowyou’retired, tiredandscared. Happenstoeveryone, okay? Justdon’tletyourfeetstop.”

I looked up and gazed again at the shadow on the wall.

“Dancingiseverything,” continued the Sheep Man (p.86)

*    *   *   *

P.S. Just noticed - Whitebait has been online for one year. Erratic output to be sure, but still dancing.