Well, no matter how you slice it, today marks two years, or twenty-four months or 731 days that I’ve been living in the Philippines. Time flies.

Not sure what to make of this anniversary. These past couple of months have been rather unpleasant but overall I can’t say I regret making the move. I have a comfortable and comparatively easy life here. I never found the love I’d hoped for but I’m learning to live without it. I’ve settled into my routines and as my faithful readers have surely noticed, that can sometimes get a little on the boring side. Honestly though, I mostly enjoy the walking, with a group or on my own. I miss my bar life these days which provided some semblance of a social life. I guess that’s enough for an old retired guy.

Looking backwards (dangerous I know!) I do miss the life I left behind in Korea. Not enough to second guess my decision to move here, but I have regrets about not appreciating my time there while I was living it. There’s something to be said for living in the moment. I was too busy lamenting the life I’d lost to enjoy the life I was living I suppose.

Looking forward I imagine this life will do and if it doesn’t I’ll do something different. Getting a first-hand taste of the utter incompetence of the idiots in charge does make me consider dusting off my Plan B. I understand Cambodia is back to pretty much normal these days. Well, at least the bars are open again there. But I ain’t going anywhere anytime soon. I do want to incorporate more travel into my life once things calm down again.

As to regrets, well, you know the song, I’ve had a few. Although really, the disappointments were the tuition to the school of experience. I’ve been scammed a few times by women I thought I knew and trusted, been ghosted by people I considered friends, and let down on occasion when I misjudged the true nature of someone’s character. But honestly, I’ve been doing that all my life so I guess it’s really on me.

So, the journey continues until it ends and I’m still motivated to keep on moving forward as long as possible. I’m relatively healthy and I’m thankful for that. I think my being here has made a positive difference in a few lives and that was one of my goals when I made the move. I’m going to strive to live each day as it comes and be satisfied with whatever it brings. And whenever I start feeling depressed or sorry for myself, I’ll just take a look out the window.

Thanks for joining me here. It’s nice to have y’all along for the ride!