When a travel blog becomes a Journal

 My thoughts are mine alone. 

 I write here because every man (should) have an instinct to leave some sort of legacy. After I am gone, at least I'll have a record of my thoughts. If I don't go too quick, then I'll have a journal to look back on. 

I have no grand delusions that I am more important than anyone else or am some grand figure in anyone's lives. I understand that I am insignificant. I hope to make an impact on my son's life as that is really the only thing that truly matters. That is how I leave the world a little better than I found it. 

I am also not of the opinion that I am better than anyone, there are so many people that are far better than me at pretty much every aspect of life. This doesn't mean I can't and won't strive to be better every chance I get and make every day a little better than the last. There are things in this life that are uncontrollable. I know I am better than the swigs people who lied and tried to destroy my life over a girl that can't control her own life. I know that for a fact. 

I survived a 5 year stretch where my father died (good riddance), my sister died, I quit my job due to unhappiness and undertook a career change, some of my friends tried to destroy my life for very little good reason (and  it must be admitted that I made some mistakes there as well), got cancer, (mostly) beat cancer, and made it through to the other side. If iron sharpens iron I have been sitting on the iron throne and cutting my ass for years with no reprieve. 

I am stronger now because of this. I will not allow any of this to end me. I've made some mistakes, and I've made a shit ton of progress as well. I've stopped hanging out with "friends" that prayed for my downfall and don't give time to lying social pariahs who relish attention rather than relationships. My sense of goodness in someone else has been sharpened to an extent that I can almost sniff out the intentions weeks, or months before they arrive. 

I learned from my mistakes, and I think that is the key to it all. As a flawed human who constantly makes mistakes, the key to life is likely learning from your mistakes. I used to think it was practice, but learning from mistakes is nothing if not practice, just on a grander scale. So the keys to life involve practice and learning if nothing else. 

Life throws you some curveballs. Maybe the point has come to start timing those curveballs out and smacking some dingers out of the park. 

Life is amazing if not hard as fuck.