It’s not easy being away from your family.

Years ago when Stephen and I left Hong Kong it was because we wanted to be closer to home. Traveling 15-plus hours on a plane just to be home for the holidays was excruciating. And to even think of what would happen in case of an emergency put us in panic mode.

We didn’t always think this way. In our younger years, being away from family wasn’t very difficult because, well, we were in our 20s, a decade that should be renamed the “Selfish Decade” for all intent and purposes. This is your decade. Your time to find yourself, to think of only yourself, to discover your hopes, likes, deepest darkest desires, talents, and all the other things in this wonderful world that make us unique. I think this decade is critically important. And I don’t just say that because I had so much friggin fun in it!

This decade is what makes many of us, us. But it is also in this space that there is very little room for others. Even family. Continue reading →