Craig-213 The Eclectic Expat- Life Advice For Lost And Troubled Souls

Craig note- Long before there was Google, there was me…
C9NhUnIVoAEbtkF[1]

I read.

I read a lot.

And, then, I read some more.

I have a very, very, very eclectic knowledge base. And, my memory is excellent. There is no reason for either of those things to be true. But, it has always been that way for me for as long as I can remember. My great, great, great friend reminded me of this in a tweet this morning.

Those sort of talents come in handy when teaching or lecturing on a variety of subjects. I rarely use notes. Generally, I pick a theme, and I go about becoming an “expert” in the topic for any given lecture. This ability was always useful as a student while taking exams back in the day.

But, of course, the tests in real life are more than mere rote memorization. This is especially true here in Japan among expats. Sadly, I have seen very, very, very smart foreigners make the same mistakes over and over again.

Certainly, nobody goes out of their way to intentionally screw up their lives. But, there are a fair number of expats who have made great, great, great effort to make it look like they are $%$%ing up their lives on purpose. As such, many, many, many expats have come to me over the years in search of life advice.

I tend to be an oracle of sorts, expat or otherwise. That was true even in America. It`s been 12 years since I have lived in the States, and I still get weekly e-mails from some great, great, great friends asking me for life guidance. And, I do my very, very, very best to help them.

Sometimes, I simply lend them a friendly ear. Other times, I mock them for being “a moron…” (I`m a blunt dude.) And, still, there are moments when I throw my hands up, and I shake my head in disbelief. To be sure, there are some things I cannot fix. Funny enough, I never, ever, ever ask for life advice.

To be sure, I have thrown out an idea or two to a trusted friend over the years. But, I find that my internal contemplation of any personal problems has been far, far, far more effective in solving issues. But, I have a wealth of life experiences and knowledge to draw upon when considering life changes.

This topic came to me on the train today. I was thinking about Tiger Woods. Perhaps, you have read the news that he was arrested for drunk driving. He has found himself in a myriad of situations over the past few years. Many, many, many of them sadly are self-inflicted.

Still, I wondered aloud to my wife this morning, “How does NOBODY around him stop him from driving while drunk?”

I cannot imagine someone so, so, so famous is ever completely alone. The security risk would likely make that impossible. Yet, there he was on TV with one horrible, horrible, horrible mug shot. The sports` media was ruthless.

I listened to several sports` commentators this morning. The general theme was that this latest incident was “…a cry for help…” And, I wondered if someone like Tiger Woods with all the money and resources in the world cannot find a way to get back on a straight and narrow path, “What hope is there for any of the rest of the lost and troubled souls in this cold, cold, cold world?”

Sadly, I have no advice for that.

Grey, Grizzled, and Gaijin

Got a Question for the Grey, Grizzled, And Gaijin Mailbag? Send it to: @craighoffman11 on Twitter!