The Quick Version
I’m Grant, 56, British expat living in Japan. I teach English, farm vegetables, and write honestly about aging, purpose, and finding contentment without the BS. No guru wisdom here—just authentic conversation about life’s real challenges and the thoughts we rarely admit out loud.
Why This Blog Exists
At this stage of life, I’ve noticed something: we’re all carrying questions we don’t voice. Am I authentic or just making excuses? Is cycling to work in the rain at my age endearing or embarrassing? What does success actually mean when you’re living paycheck to paycheck but somehow content?
OldDogZeroTricks isn’t about having answers—it’s about creating space for honest conversation about the stuff we usually keep to ourselves. The awkward thoughts, the middle-of-the-night worries, the gap between who we thought we’d be and who we actually are.
My Journey Here
Life brought me to Japan twenty years ago to help a woman and her three-year-old daughter navigate their world. That mission became my purpose for two decades—teaching, supporting, building something that felt like family even when it wasn’t traditional.
When that chapter ended last year (she returned to America to reunite with her daughter), I found myself alone in her country, processing not just loss but the whole arc of my choices. The helicopter license I earned at 28. The drift from ambition to contentment. The discovery that meaningful work—teaching and farming—matters more than the money it generates.
What You’ll Find Here
Honest vulnerability. I’ll tell you about secretly wanting a makeover, living off 7-Eleven food, or feeling guilty for saying no to extra work even when I’m exhausted. Not because I enjoy oversharing, but because when one person admits the awkward truth, others feel permission to be honest too.
Real questions. Not rhetorical ones designed to make me sound wise, but genuine wondering about how we navigate aging, relationships, purpose, and the gap between expectations and reality.
Community conversation. My favorite posts are the “All About You” series where you’re the star, not me. Because honestly? Your experiences and insights are often more valuable than mine.
What You Won’t Find
No life coaching. No “10 Steps to Success.” No pretending I’ve figured it all out. I’m still learning Japanese after twenty years here (406-day Duolingo streak and counting). I still get my feelings hurt when someone doesn’t respond to my messages. I still wonder if I’m authentic or just making the best of circumstances.
Current Chapter
These days, I split time between teaching English to Japanese students who’ve become my community, and farming work that keeps me grounded in something real. I cycle to work regardless of weather (yes, even in the pouring rain), write at dawn while the world sleeps, and find unexpected satisfaction in simple routines.
I’m exploring faith more seriously than ever, learning that gratitude feels more like conversation with something larger than positive thinking exercises. And I’m building this blog as a space where middle-aged people can drop the performance and just be honestly human together.
The Invitation
If you’re navigating your own version of life’s awkward realities, if you’ve got thoughts you rarely admit out loud, if you’re wondering whether anyone else feels like they’re winging it in their 50s and beyond—you’ve found your people.
I respond personally to every comment, read every email, and genuinely want to know: what’s your version of cycling through the rain? What questions keep you up at night? What would you say if you knew someone else was thinking the exact same thing?
Ready to join the conversation? Start with What’s Your Sanctuary? where your story takes center stage, or browse any post that catches your eye.
The coffee’s always on, and there’s room at the table for whatever you’re carrying.
