Omar and the Romanian

OK...i stayed up way too late after the night with the filipina girls and the diet cokes.  I was a little restless...so i called my beautiful romanian friend.  OK...everyone likes my transparency or so they email...here's some more blatant honesty.  Im over here all alone, yet im having a blast most of the time...still after living with someone for 15 years and then sleeping alone, well its is a little hard to get used to.  Especially when that other person is now sleeping with someone else...but i digress.  So i've got realize the vulnerability of my situation.  The romanian has made it abundantly clear that she is only interested in friendship (here words tell me one thing but her eyes and body tell me another, so im not sure what to believe.)  Is a missionary even supposed to talk like this?  Am i even a missionary? i guess with the Romanian i have a choice...i can say yes and agree to stay as a friend or no...cut my friendship off entirely.  Its really a lose lose situation since i dont have many friends on the island yet.  Its a little like that movie legends of the fall...where the three brothers, all fell for the same girl...of course they are going to fall for her...she's the only girl for 300 miles.  The same goes for me.  She's young beautiful intelligent, used to be a personal trainer...hello of course im going to fall for her eventually...i have to so guard my heart...yet i don't want to guard my heart anymore, it sucks already.  Im so ready to have a relationship and have that emotional intimacy again.  i really miss that.  i think the most beautiful moment in a relationship is when you can have an entire conversation with your spouse without having to use any words.  i guess  i just have to do that whole delayed gratification thing.  I know God has a plan, i just have to be patient enough to wait for it.  Paul was a single missionary...but for some reason...that's not  a real big comfort to me right now.  I guess i just have to be patient.  i do have tentative dates set up with a beautiful Russian girl and a beautiful dutch girl for next week.  So who am i to complain.  But after years of being married...i can honestly say...dating sucks.  im tired of window shopping and am finally ready to make a purchase.  So if you are married hug your spouse and don't be so concerned about being right.  

I wanted to get up early to go to church, they do some churches on Friday since it is the weekend.  But...i stayed up soooo late writing in this blog, and being on facebook, i decided to go the Sunday church instead.  I actually haven't been to a service as of yet.  I just found out where the Christian churches were.  Now i have to go check them out to make sure i can get fed.  Never underestimate the value of surrounding yourself with like Christian believers.  Its so important as iron sharpens iron.  The negative can also be true.  My friend Wayne has a saying, "Show me who your friends are...I'll show you what your destiny is."  That has rung true so often in life.  I have talked to many many many divorced men and women.  If there is a common thread (especially in the areas of infidelity) there usually always is a "bad influence friend" that acts as an enabler.  Misery loves company and the friend usually tries to drag the other down to feel better about their own actions.  So married couples...be extremely vigilant on who you allow into your lives in social settings...Its so important.  Water always seeks its own level and usually with weaker friends...we usually come down to their moral standard rather than raising them up.  Its weird failure is the best teacher.  So its counter intuitive (i love that word) for a divorced man to be giving advice on how to make a marriage work.  But i've learned more what makes a successful marriage work in the year of my failed marriage than some couples learn in a lifetime.  That is why im a little anxious to put my new found revelations to work.  Rather than just being alone all the time.

I met with Omar today at his house.  Omar is the youngest of the Shaheen children, a very bright and articulate guy.  He was the previous GM at KSDI before he went into Banking.  Omar is a brilliant salesman.  If he can continue to make the connections and open the door for us...there could easily be a very lucrative partnership down the road.  Its a little strange being in the family business that way.  Khalifa, the father, made me feel great the other day.  He said...i consider you like my son...you are part of the family.  That really made me feel great.  Especially being half way across the world...where communication with my own children is strained...its nice to have someone care about you that much.  But that said...its a family business...and while they made it clear im a member of their family, i have to remember that im not blood, more like step brother or something.  Omar and i are on the absolute same page in terms of the potential growth of the company.  His wife just had a baby.  She flew to England so the child could be born with a British Citizenship and a passport.  That was incredibly forward thinking on their part.  Being from the West certainly has its privileges. Im rambling, so i should pull this to a close.  Talk to you tomorrow.

Rick