Ryan Akiyama

You Make Heaven A Place On Earth

Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth? Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth They say in Heaven, love comes first We’ll make Heaven a place on Earth Ooh, Heaven is a place on Earth Belinda Carlisle immortalized these lines in her eternally catchy 80’s anthem “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.” You’re welcomeContinue reading “You Make Heaven A Place On Earth”

Akiyama Xmas Newsletter 2021

Roadies Suck! (a confession)

I ran my first trail race on February 2, 2021. After a lifetime of participation in various road races, I was astounded by how friendly and supportive all the runners were. In road running, the only conversations pre and post race seem to be between runners that already know one another – often clustering inContinue reading “Roadies Suck! (a confession)”

Twenty Two Love Notes

One I once filled pages and pages of diaries, prayer journals, and composition books with earnest yearnings for an imagined and idealized “One.” I wondered, wished, and doubted. I still have wonders and wishes and doubts about oh so much in this life but I have certainty of one thing: you are The One forContinue reading “Twenty Two Love Notes”

Mobility, Complacency, Resources

I started this blog in November 2020 with a retrospective of my November 2019-November 2020 weight loss and fitness journey. You can read that post here. If you prefer the short version, here it is: As a result of meticulous research and implementation of diet and exercise plans I lost 70 pounds over the spanContinue reading “Mobility, Complacency, Resources”

Who Shall I Be Today?

I intend to be brutally honest about myself in this post. My intent is to think honestly and out loud about significant and harmful shortcomings in my personal character in a way that may be helpful for my continued personal growth and maybe, possibly, helpful to my readers’ growth as well. While I generally dislikeContinue reading “Who Shall I Be Today?”

It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming

The title for this post is a small lie as I type this first line at 12:03am of Saturday morning. So, accurately speaking, yesterday was Good Friday. The beginning of Easter weekend. A day traditionally marked by somber religious ceremonies about alienation, betrayal, and death. The title for this post is a larger truth addressedContinue reading “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming”

Mixtapes Reborn

As an overly earnest, romantic-hearted teenager, I used to spend hours creating mixtapes by waiting with my fingers poised over the record and play buttons on the tape deck so that I could capture the next perfect song from the radio. I just had to hope the DJ wouldn’t talk over any part of theContinue reading “Mixtapes Reborn”

Goals, Failure, Success

I’ve been thinking lately about the effects that goal attainment and failure have on performance, results, and tenacity. A few months ago, I chronicled my November 2019-November 2020 journey with weight loss and fitness. https://woundedwonders.com/2020/11/06/a-year-of-losses-and-gains/ To be honest, since achieving my target weight goal back in March of 2020, I’ve been living with a lowContinue reading “Goals, Failure, Success”

A Meditation on Grace

I have been thinking a lot about the notion of grace lately. It’s one of those words we use quite often, and I’m beginning to suspect we each mean something a little different each time we use it. I have often said that my beloved is the best embodiment of grace that I know. WhoContinue reading “A Meditation on Grace”