All journey's begin with a single step.

We like to plan in advance and get the lay of the land but looks are often deceiving and when the path you thought you saw as a fairly pleasant venture over rolling hills turns into a strangling quagmire... well, who can you blame?

Certainly life is full of surprises - and change - and even the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray. But when you start to listen to someone who's advice on the path which you should tread, someone whose advice has consistently proven dubious, well then you only have yourself to blame.

It's doubly hard when that person is yourself.

My personal life is a train-wreck. Why I should believe that I could possibly offer advice to someone else is beyond me.

I like to hold the conceit that though I am a train-wreck I am really good at helping others.

That is a crock of shit.

I thought I was helping a friend today, maybe I was simply working from wishful thinking and projecting my own desires onto the situation - I don't know. Needless to say the 'help' wasn't appreciated and you know what? I don't blame him.

I don't blame him at all.

If he had taken it upon himself to 'help' me with Andrew I would be mortified - and furious.

Why I thought this was a good idea I don't know. I guess I got too full of myself and that I - an outsider - knew better what he needed than he himself.

It's all well and good to hold the philosophy of Keep It Simple Stupid, but human's are rarely simple - though deep and complex is often to far a stretch to describe us no matter what fantasies we might like to entertain - and if we are not prepared to live in the glaring light of self honesty ourselves anyone else's attempt to impose their own idea's upon our lives will be met with resentment and justifiable anger.

If the door to a house is not open you are not invited in. It doesn't matter how well you might know the inhabitants of the house. Forcing it open is a violation. And even a gilded invitation should be viewed suspiciously.

Advice can be sought in anyway shape or form, it may be taken or not, but the choice should always be left in the hands of they who asked for the advice (or opinion).

Stepping into a situation that is in full swing is like trying to enter a conversation being held in a foreign language - one you might be familiar with but not fluent in.

I can barely help myself, why I thought I might be able to help someone else is beyond me.

And I certainly do not speak French....