*smiles*  A bit of cynicism isn't a bad thing, but you have to be careful not to get too carried away with it.
The world isn't so bad, and there's a lot of wonderful things out there.


They're just a bit hard to find sometimes.  ;)

the thing is, when expecting bad shit, one usually only sees bad shit, so I try to expect happy stuff

but yeah...

It's not easy to spot, as I also have to be a little of a realist, there are con-men and thieves out there, and being too...

Doe-eyed will make me a mark

I'm a pretty big guy, so I don't get victimized much, but I try to keep my eyes open anyway.    I've gotten more cynical and less trusting as I've gotten older as well.   Seeing more of the worst of humanity can do that.   :)

I'm small, as in short

so sadly some people think I'm easy to trick, boy are they sadly mistaken

The thing about being an "easy mark" and knowing about it, it makes one very very good at stopping it

being inventive with how to protect belongings and ones own person

Saying that, I also know when the best course of action is to run away, but I'm also slightly dumb when it comes to seeing others be hurt, I will save their asses, I can handle pain, I can't handle seeing others in pain

Which is weird.

I wish I were more selfless.  I'm envious of your instincts.     I want to be helpful to strangers, but I'm always nervous about getting involved with too much drama.  i know that's a bad attitude to have, though.

Nah, it's called self-preservation instincts

you see, if you have seen lots of bad peoples in your life, I mean news talking about people with low morals, thieves and general vandalism

you'd be wary around strangers

and we all know the stories parents tell to kids, stranger danger, murderers hiding in the back of the car and hitch-hikers that are serial-killers. Basically trying to teach children to stay away to adulthood

Some scare their children more, some less, so really, you're just making sure you stay alive

I grew up in a town with no real violence, just bullying, so I think people can be reasoned with, but I'm also a realist, I've seen criminal minds, so I know some aren't able to reason with

I suppose I'm safe, but I wish I was more adventurous.  I have some coworkers who are more brave and fearless than I am.  I'm jealous of their resolve.

The thing is, adventurous people will at some point be jealous of your stability and ability to stay in one place for more than them.

So really, there is no need to be jealous, just enjoy what you have and be happy for them, also, see it as them testing things out for you, you can always do them later, life can be exciting when older.

I am at times jealous of people with house, 2,5 kids, dog and a white picket fence, then I remember their debt

And enjoy my crazy life with a small student-debt that is soon paid off, and crazy plans to travel

and then I still feel like I waste my life, I have no degree, I just hang all over the places I feel like going

you so grounded, maybe even know how you'll survive next year

Been there, many times.  I'm not exactly where I thought that I would be at this point in my life and it feels like I'm playing catch up and probably will for some time.

*tackleglomps fluffy bear*

no no, your life is just as awesome as you always intended it to be

but as someone put it, regretting things you haven't done, is more annoying than things you did do

So we should stop looking at how others live their life, stop comparing things, and realize, your lives are just as good as they should be

but also, know there is nothing wrong with taking a risk in life or changing your life to try something you haven't done before, sadly it's not easy to go back to school at an older age or to learn a new routine or trick, but you know what, who cares?

If you truly want to do something, for your own sake, then go ahead and do it, doing something to impress others with, will just make you sad

*rattles fluffy bear*

hihihi

*joins in the hugs*

I'm not entirely stable and grounded, but, you're right, I do have a pretty good life.  It's somewhat stable, at least financially, and I enjoy it.  It's not what I'd always intended to do with my life, but I have a good one.

huggle-pile!!!!!!!!!!

*Tackles and hugs everyone tight*

plans is one thing, making them work is another, tis why I have many ideas, and only one plan, and that is to survive for as long as possible and see how many ideas I can make come true

hih

I need to kidnap a man and a kid at some point, we'll see when and where

*Joins in the Hug Pile*

I don't know.  I think that I overthink things at times.  Do I want to take this risk?  What happens if it doesn't work out?

I've taken risks before.  I moved from Canada to the US for work, and to an area of the country that I'd never been to before, and that was part of the attraction.  Now, I wonder if I should stay or move someplace else.  Should I try for a position in the UK?  Arizona?  Not sure.  I think that I just feel like I'm stagnating, sitting still, when I should be doing some thing.

Anyways...enough self doubting.  You can only be the best you that you can be, right?  Did that make sense?

yes, you can only be the best you that you can be

okay, instead of thinking of it as risks, think of it as what will you feel worse about

and have you thought about finding a new exciting hobby, to see if it's stagnation or boredom you feel?

and remember, one is never too old to move and take chances

personally, I just got the medical license to be allowed to work on a cruise ship, it's international, so I can work on any cruise that will have me

my specialty is retail, some cruises don't have shops, they only have hotels, but one would hope they'd have some sort of... Souvenir shop even on those

But I'm crazy

you do as you want, when you want it, no one but you knows what you need or want, so just think, or not think. Life is here and now

There are some very large ships that leave out of Texas for the Caribbean and leaving Seattle for Alaska that are pretty huge, having many shops.
Still, I'm sure those jobs are tough to get.

I get into stagnation very easily, getting very comfortable and being loathe to leave it.    We're hoping to move from Texas to Massachusetts as soon as we can.   I'm comfortable here, so it's hard to think about packing up to move.  I'm not scared, but i'm loathe to want to go through all the hassle.

Moving is a hassle

it's even so big a hassle that there are firms you can pay to pack up and move the stuff for you

this of course means money for that....

I usually pay my friends in beer

I've moved more times than I'd care to admit

When we moved from Massachusetts to Texas, a trip of about 3300 KM, we paid a company to move the bulk of our stuff, like furniture and bulky items.
We'll probably have to do it again when we move back in the next few years.  We have accumulated a lot of crap.

I remember when I lived in Boston and moved to an apartment down the block from my original one.  I lugged everything down there, including my mattress.

Here we can rent one of those metal boxes trucks drive around filled with stuff, maybe is called a trailer?

They are so large one can fit all of ones belongings and a car in them

They are rather expensive, but in the long run easier to fill and empty, as they are so large

I've never owned so much I'd needed one, but a friend of mine used one as extra space when the house was renovated, they just left the container on the premises and then removed it after

They are even used on work-places as temporary housing for builders

Yes, a trailer is correct.  :)   We have those alternate uses as well.

When I was single, I never had more than a car worth of stuff, with the exception of a mattress, but my wife likes antiques and other nice things, so we've accumulated a LOT of stuff.  *smiles*
Luckily she's also good at getting a good price on things.

Well, we deserve to have pretty things, as long as one doesn't buy things that is

too expensive to use, as in collectibles

I've never understood the need to buy things, that one isn't allowed to play with, or use "cause they'll be worth something in x-years"

The desire to have "stuff" can be very strong in some people.   It helps many of us feel like we have something to show for our time here on Earth, as goofy as that sounds.
I like having lots of books, and some of the knick knacks that I've collected over the years, while frivolous, remind me of things I've done, places I've been, and people I've known.

Still, it can be overdone easily.  An entire room filled with Star Wars memorabilia or porcelain figurines, for example, can be very excessive.
My wife collects Belleek, ceramic pottery made by a company in Ireland, and also inherited her mother's collection.  It's somewhat valuable, but she likes them more as a way to have bonded with her mother years ago, and something to remember her by now.
Though to another collector it might be valuable if we sell it someday.

I have this thing, where I buy one post-card at every place I go, to keep as a reminder, and maybe something small knick knacky

I used to collect a lot of stuff, ceramics animals, books, model-airplanes, model-cars, model-ships... Plastic stuff one built really, comics, playing cards...

Then I had to move to a tiny apartment, and reacted with throwing everything unnecessary out, I kept one or two things of every collection, and put them in my parents attic, and I still collect "the phantom" comics

but I decided, I get to collect one thing and one thing only, not have multiple collections

and stuff aren't that important anymore, the travelling and postcards are important still, but yeah, it's experience and happiness

and it's okay to collect stuff, as long as one does it cause it's fun or a way to connect to someone, it's when it goes overboard, into hoarder territory, I start to worry

I like souvenirs, too.   We have a few around the house as well.  Refrigerator magnets, glasses, mugs and the like.   It's good to have something that helps you remember the fun things you've done.  :)

But I've had to sort out my stuff, too, to not have too much clutter.

souvenirs are cool, but as soon as they wander over to be taught of as 'clutter'

then they've sort of lost the souvenireness of it

so really, one should go on one more trip, to remind oneself how it's like over there

I love to travel, sadly, I haven't been able to go any really far places, I just need a partner to travel with

a lonely woman in a foreign place? hah, I like stuff risky, but not that risky

*smiles sadly*  Yes, it's a sad thing when a woman can't go where she wants to by herself.
Granted, it's much less fun to travel alone regardless.

Souvenirs can become clutter easily, so I try to buy things that are useful as regular objects, as well. That way I'm still getting some use out of them and reminded of my trip at the same time.