“You always move better with a smile.”

5.52am and there she is.

Old, dedicated lady - with an ancient Japanese brush broom - relentlessly scratching away the autumn leaves that accumulate daily.

Why does she do it?

I run alongside the Meguro river, and her section of the pathway is pristine. I see no home nearby, no institutions, no reason why she would be so obsessed about keeping her little section clean.

But she does. She is there every day I am there.

Don’t you love dogs?

I do. Because they love you. That’s all they do.

When you’re angry, they look sad.

When you’re happy, they wag their tail.

When you shout at them, they look worried.

They are waiting for you to love them again. And you can’t help it. You love them back. Their honest emotion and devotion, overcomes all resistance in your heart. You smile, melt before this all powerful channeler of love and say:

“Come here boy!”

and you get wet-licked all over your face.

What if a person was like that?

I am no neuroscientist, just an avid reader of the latest pop-book on how the brain works. Working through Override by Caroline Willams this week.

I love these brain books; I adore them because they reflect me to me.

My latest fascination is with the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST for short. I am partnering with that little beauty every day now.

Have you ever noticed - just when a student is starting to do best - they decide to leave?

Saying things like:

“Got so much to work on now, so grateful.”

Or

“I am feeling overwhelmed; I need time to digest.”

Or

“It’s getting hard to find time – I think I need a little break. I’ll be back.”

It’s crap. It’s the conscious mind being duped by the mammal inside.

Suddenly my phone is screaming at me…

(Who is calling at this late hour!?)

"Hallo, BodyChance Studio.

I'm sorry, but now we are close—"

"Please can you help me!?"

(I think: shouldn't we at least do names first?)

"Who is this speaking?"

"Oh I'm sorry, my name is Harry."

(I guess he needs to have this conversation now…)

"What's the problem Harry?"

"I am in a lot of pain. I can't stand it."

Sonja Higgo, one of my star students - and her Self an experienced teacher of many years - just emailed me this note…

***

What I have noticed recently is that I benefit and enjoy doing the task I intended to do rather than procrastinating once again. As I experienced relief and joy about such a simple decision I found it really easy to change.

***

It was timely for me, as procrastination recently haunts my days.

I get up, make a list, and do very little of it. DAMN!

How do you manage the mammal in you?

I've been coaching two friends - both with the same surname which is funny - about how to love. Young Japanese men who need an older senpai.（先輩）ME.

One gay, one straight - and you know what?

It doesn't matter.

Mammals are all the same when it comes to love.

There are no new love stories. Oxytocin, an occasional dash of sensible serotonin - he doesn't, she doesn't; when will he? why doesn't she? She can't. He will. I don't. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

It's all the same.

Carol Dweck, in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success* tells the story of hugely successful athletes, who all started out, with no particular signs of greatness about them.

Michael Jordan wasn't recruited by the college he wanted to play for. He wasn't drafted by the first two NBA teams that could have chosen him. He was cut from his varsity team.

His response?

The light is fading away in Tokyo as I write.

It's been a day of rest, love and thoughtful engagement. Do you rest?

I started to schedule in a full day of total rest after watching Dan Buettner's TED talk on "How to live to be 100+" - which is definitely on my list of things to accomplish.