Reflections of a restless eccentric

 Ever have one of those days where everything seems to go wrong on multiple fronts? I've been having a few of those lately. Actually, if I'm being honest, it's been a few weeks now. And I haven't been too nice to myself through this phase. Many times, I relentlessly point out all the things I should have done better. Needless to say, this doesn't help me feel any better. Sometimes I'd wish, if only I had a compassionate friend who knew all the minutiae of my life and could point out all the things I'm doing right instead, it would feel so much nicer. While I'm blessed with many such people in my life, today, I'm trying something different. I'm trying to be that friend to myself and reduce all the negative inner chatter. So humor me, dear reader, and come along on this highlight reel of my life with me. This is really hard to write for me because I'm so used to criticizing myself ! :) I remember you from three years ago. In fact, I particularl...

Dear Stranger, I don't know you, and probably never will. But I have gone through periods of intense darkness in my life, and maybe you are going through one right now. I know it can feel very overwhelming, with no beginning or end in sight. Maybe you feel that your life is horrible, or don't see a way to make things better. First of all, I am really sorry that you are going through this. I really wish you didn't have to, because you deserve good things and happiness.  I hope you have someone who loves you very dearly, and helps you through these dark days. I struggled to talk to my loved ones through these phases, so I understand if you haven't yet reached out. Even if you feel you don't have anyone who really cares, you have me. It may feel strange to you that I care about a person that I don't know and have never met. But weirdly enough, I do. I feel deeply connected to you because I have gone through a lot of ups and downs in life (more downs than ups in rec...