My head is bleeding. Again. You'd think I'd learn.

You've heard people talk about how you need, sometimes, to be hit on the head a few times before you get the point of something or other?

Well, I'm being reminded several times a day right now that I should just slow down and be a bit more mindful of where I am and where I am going.

The photo above is my attempt to show you how tall I am in comparison to the doorways in this centuries-old house where I am living for a week while visiting Kyoto.

House designers way-back-when here were very bullish on creating lots of little rooms with lots of little doorways between them. I am guessing, much like heritage houses everywhere, it had a lot to do with heating. If you were going to be hanging around in one room, why heat the whole friggin' house?

Consequently, however, as I roam about the place, I am constantly smacking my head against doorjambs. I am covered with bruises. I check for blood before I meet anyone or go anywhere. I look like I have been literally beating myself up, which metaphorically is often true, but it has never manifested itself physically until now.

There is only one solution.

If I am present in the moment, and I am aware that I am leaving one room and entering another, and I stop thinking about where I am going or where I have been, I don't smack my head on the doorframe.

Slow down. Think before you do things. Be aware of where you are.

This house has a lot to teach me.

I only wish the lessons weren't quite so painfully gained.