Shhhhh...don't tell anyone! I did go through a rough early adulthood. I remember coming home one day and my mother had moved out. I plunged into retreat, got into the drug scene and bailed out of society. My parents argued a lot over who I should live with and I just kept running away until they stopped looking for me. I have pretty much been on my own since around 15-16 and I certainly learned from the school of hard knocks. It took a few significant events to get me back on track. I have no regrets other than not taking my mother back to Japan when she was alive. I had an enormous feeling of guilt when the plane landed and I had her tucked under my arm in an urn. I was quite ashamed to realize I had made plenty of money and could have easily afforded to take her to Japan once a year for the past 15 years but my selfishness didn't allow it. When she was diagnosed terminal in March of 2000 I pretty much put my life on hold and took care of her 24-7. It was very stressful but I could not see putting her in a nursing home. She had multiple brain mets and was riddled with mets from ovarian cancer. Her 4 weeks lasted for 9 months and I still haven't found a regular job.

Ed