Hi Fools,
I thought I'd check in on you all.
I'm glad you came back, Noolan, and it's wonderful to see how well you are doing. I hope you have a really successful school year.
Freein, you've expressed dissatisfaction with your job for a long time, maybe it is a good time to explore your options. Have you ever considered seeing a career counselor? It's never too late to do something entirely different. My childhood neighbor decided to go to law school when she was in her 50s, and practiced into her 80s.
Obo, I'm sorry your return home has brought all your monsters out from under the bed. I know how hard it can be to turn off a negative loop in your mind, I struggle with it too. I try to deal with my reactions to things as they come up by questioning them on the spot-why do I feel so strongly about this, is there anything to be gained from the way I am responding to this, can my reaction/feelings about this alter the outcome in a beneficial way, or at all, what is the other person's perspective, rationale, story, and is it truly of lesser importance than mine, am I being the kind of person that I want to be in this situation... I am often surprised by how differently I feel about something after I've evaluated my reaction to it, and what's behind that reaction. I hope you find some peace within yourself.
Up, I like your new name, and it sounds like you are moving in a positive direction with the physical therapy and volunteer work. I hope your news isn't too terribly bad.
Mariah, I'm glad you've finally found a job that suits you. I know it doesn't pay as well as you'd like, but feeling good about what you do, and enjoying your work are so incredibly important. I hope you're enjoying the change of seasons down there.
Izzy, moving is one of my least favorite activities, so you have all my sympathies right now. I hope all the dominoes fall in a smooth and timely way, and that you can get settled quickly. I hope you are proud of yourself for reevaluating your needs, and making the changes in your life that are required for you to meet them. It's not easy to do that. I think it will be wonderful for you to get to live in town with your kids in school. Your options really are wide open. I also think it's good for your kids to see you taking steps for your own benefit, it both teaches them, and gives them permission, to advocate for themselves, an incredibly important skill.
I hope you're doing well, Dee.
I'm glad your house didn't blow away, Topspin.
I'm doing pretty well. It's been 2 1/2 years since I stopped taking opiates, and they rarely enter my thoughts these days. I used to wonder if that would ever be possible...
I started gardening again this year, after many years off. I spent a couple of months clearing blackberries, cutting them down and digging up their roots, and then built raised beds, and a few in ground beds, about 550 sq/ft in all, and planted a ton of stuff. I still have a lot of food, flowers, herbs, and veggies growing, I even still have some strawberries,, though it's time to pull a bunch of old stuff and get fall and winter stuff in. I forgot how much I enjoy growing things. I need to have some storage and preservation plans and space figured out before next spring, because I had enough to feed myself through much of the winter, I just wasn't prepared.
I also finally did a massive purge of most of my house, the studio/shop areas not included, and got rid of several truck loads of stuff, which felt wonderful, and was years overdue. I even kept the house clean for a while after that, but it's a mess again, though it's a manageable one.
I had to put one of my dogs down, which always sucks, but was still the best thing I could do for her at that point, so now my ex and I are only sharing one dog. I have mixed feelings about having just one dog, but a lot of them are positive...
I'm starting to get mentally prepared for my holiday production season, it all starts this month. I really need to do well this time, it's been a challenging year for my business so far, and I've taken on some side work here and there. I'm lucky to have had opportunities come up, but I liked it better when I didn't need them.
I don't know why I haven't posted in months. I do still look in and read the forum, though, and the fools are often in my thoughts. I'm always rooting for all of you.