Concept vs. Reality

My father always said that I have a tendency to be too idealistic, even in the face of contradictory data. It really became apparent during my university days, when I would jump from course to course, from major to major, because I just KNEW the next one would be different. It would be THE one that would click, when in reality they were all crap in the end.

So is the story of my life, I theoretically like things such as nature, but then I get there and go “What the fuck!?” I theoretically like helping people, as long as they stay away and don’t touch me. Why do people in need always smell so funky?

So what is one to do, blame naiveté, blame idealism, blame an inability to learn from the past? Still I go on. What I need to see is what is my next bout of 'concept vs. reality' about. My time in India has corrected me in a couple things: 1) I like the concept of living in a developing country, as long as I have the money to get the western comforts to which I have grown accustomed too (god I miss having money!); 2) I like the concept of travel and being new places, as long as I take my friends along (being alone in a new place sucks); 3) I like the concept of having help, as long as they do things exactly how I want them (incredibly hard when one doesn’t speak the language).

Now that I have hit 30 (with a hard cricket bat) I need to figure out if I like the theory of a relationship or the practice of actually having someone encroach on your space day in and day out, always in your way. And what about children? The theory of caring and nurturing for a new life vs. the reality of having the life and money sucked out of you by an ungrateful parasite. Decisions, decisions.