For whatever reason – I am the type of person that does not appreciate the life I have built for myself. Despite how hard I worked for what I have, forgetting the obstacles I had to overcome to get where I am – and without even mentioning the personal sacrifices I had to make to achieve what I have – I still feel that I do not appreciate what I have become enough to weigh it against the effort I put into achieving it – until I came here.

They say that in order to appreciate and truly understand what you have – you have to step out of it in order to experience it as if you were “on the outside looking in”. Considering the fact that I am on the other side of the Earth and so far from where I live that my morning in Alaska is my afternoon back home – I’d say I am pretty far enough away from my home life that I can look at it from a different perspective.

In doing just that – I realized that there is a lot of stuff about my life that I feel I should avoid, stop doing, take care of – and write off.

All of my life, I have always been someone that has been very nice to everyone. From strangers I meet, to people I work with – to those people I know that do not deserve my kindness because of their acts towards me. Yet – I continue to be kind and generous to them. So I think that it is time to stop being, “Mr. Nice Guy” to the wrong – “undeserving” people.

Besides that, I am at a point in my life that I am exactly where I want to be in every aspect of my life. I have great jobs that put me in somewhat of a state of recognition, I have great friends – one of which I am spending a week with right now – and a beautiful girlfriend back home that I miss very much. The problem is that while I may be living all of this now – I don’t appreciate it no matter how hard I try. Sometimes, when I tell people what I do – they react with more excitement then I do. Like yesterday when I told a woman at the Alaskan Brewery that I was a Press Secretary to Mayor Giuliani – she interrupted everyone’s conversation to tell everyone who I was and what I did for a living. If a complete stranger who lives on the West Coast and will probably never see me again can be that excited about what I do each and every day – then why can’t I? That’s why I have decided that I will start enjoying my life from now on. I mean – I’m in Alaska for God’s sake – why not enjoy the life I have built for myself?

Another thing that I will work to improve is the ever-dilapidating condition of my body. When Montel, “Nitro Doggy” and I left the car yesterday and headed for “The Glory Hole” – I could not carry the twelve pack of Icehouse Beer the full distance between the car and our destination – a clear example that I need to shape up – fast. I think when I return to Brooklyn – I am going to avoid any eatery that lets you “King Size” anything.

I guess the theory of “stepping out of your life to see more in to it” is true – because since I have been four thousand miles away from mine – I can see it more clearly – and see what needs to be repaired, replaced – and removed.