Emotional Hurricanes and Cake

Let’s start today’s blog off with everyone's favorite subjects: guilt, and regret.

Nobody knows the emotional hurricanes we each walk through. Regret is a wind that only we can feel, and guilt is a boulder tied to your heart that only you can carry. It’s baggage, slowing us down, and it’s ok to let go.

Regret is the soul shatterer. It stops you from being whole. Ditching guilt and regret is only possible by converting pain into love. Instead of missed chances, focus on the silly memories. Otherwise, you're doomed to a cycle of loathing and self hate that will lead to—

Oh, and if it’s anyone’s birthday today, happy birthday!

Living as an expat, I meet loving, exciting, funny people. I also lose loving, exciting, funny people. I remember doing some chemical meditation years ago, and discovering that all life is based on cycles.

Living as an expat, there’s the constant cycle of newbies coming and old friends leaving. I know a lot has been written about this, but it’s never easier to cope with.

But hey, I’m not hungover, I just ate a bunch of strawberries, and I wrote my first blog entry in years.

So how do I cope with my best friends leaving? The same way I deal with any problem: by focusing on myself.

Anyway, if you'd like to know more about guilt, regret, self loathing, or creative birthday cakes, follow me on twitter @Snarfler.


Dedicated to Chelsea, Kyle, Chris, Bender, Gabe, Hayden, Jack, Will, and soon-to-be Sandee and Lima. And others who I forgot, who will remind me that I don't love them enough.

Dear Brother (disregard the death references, though by leaving Viet Nam, you are sorta dead to me. No sympathy for deserters).



Oh, whoops. Almost forgot all the friends and family I have to leave in Oregon. Let me tell you, that never gets old.