How old were you? What was the happiest year of your life?

Esse quam videri

What year comes to your mind as the happiest? Maybe some special place you lived, being with special people, an unforgettable period that made it your happiest.

33 yo. I think my childhood was the happiest period of my life even though I was raised as a JW. But you need more than a cult to destroy the happy mental frame of a child. I'm not see the world as happy or sad anymore.

cookiemaster

I'm 22 and the happiest times in my life have been my childhood and the time I fell in love with the woman I love.

punkofnice

At 57 years of age it's a long way to look back. Lots of good stuff...sadly the bad seems to overshadow it all. No particular year as such....life has always been up and down.

I recall walking along the prom one evening with my Dad (RIP). I was pre teen. Men were fishing in the sea, sitting on the prom. There was a beautiful moon in a fairly clear sky. It cast its light over the waters. It felt magical.

LoveUniHateExams

How old were you? What was the happiest year of your life?

I would say 1994. At 15 years old, I was an unbaptized publisher. I genuinely thought JWs had the truth, and I was 'progressing' nicely. I was also extremely physically fit, could run for miles, loved playing football (soccer to you yanks) and had a good circle of friends.

I'm older now and still learning to find my own way in life and to be happy.

DATA-DOG

I never had a happiest year that I can recall. I was born, I have some early memories, got fiddled with, got raised a dub, got married, got a job. Seriously, I can't remember anything like a happiest moment. If I do, I'll post it.

Life is a bitch, and it's not for the weak. I take moments of happiness when I can get them. They usually come from family and friends or from my moments of solitude, which I need to re-charge. They alway happen when people are being real, away from the WTBTS dictatorship.

All my could-have-been happy times are tainted by the WTBTS cult.

DD

Awake at last

The happiest years of my life should have been when I was married and when my daughter was born, but sadly those events were ruined for me by members of the org.

The happiest year of my life was when I made the definite decision along with Mr Awake at last to not attend the KH ever again.

Xanthippe

The year 2000 was pretty good, I was 42. I finally got my driving licence! I was on the last year of my degree after eight years so the end was in sight. On the strength of the exams I'd already passed I got the job I really wanted.

That summer my husband, myself and our five-year-old daughter went to the south of France. It was only the second time I'd been abroad and we drove from north to south through beautiful scenery and camped every night.

I remember wonderful chateaux, fields of sunflowers, mountains and beaches. We drove into the Pyrenees and had lunch in Andorra with our first taste of pastis. Not our last either! Beautiful medieval Carcassone and all the little French villages with their markets full of fresh food, cheese and the most amazing bread.

We stayed in a tiny gite when we got to the south, with three floors and scary steep stairs. After exploring or taking out little girl on the beach, we made dinner in its tiny kitchen and ate on a tiny balcony with grapes painted on the walls. So many French wines, so little time.

A very good year. Thanks for asking, I enjoyed remembering that.

NVR2L8

Regardless of the years spent in the cult, I have had a pretty happy life. I am married to the love of my life and except for the 2 years following my exit from the cult we have had a happy marriage even though she is still a JW. When I reached 50 I started taking a long look at what I had accomplished and at how I wanted to spend the rest of my life. At that time I was starting to awaken. I had lost my dad and shortly after became a grandfather which made it more evident that I had grown old in this old system. How could that be possible when my whole life I was led to believe that this wouldn't happen, that dad and mom with our whole family would survive Armageddon and enter the new system together. Some research allowed me to find the truth about the JW cult and for 4 years I knew I was trapped in a cult and I had to find a way out. Those were the most unhappy days of my life. I was depressed knowing that I had wasted so much of my life in useless cult activities and that every day I stayed in was another day wasted. I even contemplated suicide. I decided to accept every business travel opportunity by my employer. It allowed me to have time on my own away from the meetings and cult activities. I realized I was much happier and less depressed when I stayed away from the JW activities. Business travel was also a perfect excuse to step away from my congregation responsibilities and create more distance. Then the new light on the generation pushed me over the edge and I never returned to the meetings after the district convention in 2010. Today I can say that I am happier than ever despite the irritants caused by my close family still being trapped in the cult. I experience moments of intense happiness in the smallest things such as sitting by the river to read the Saturday newspaper or things I never had time to do when I devoted that time in the door to door work. I use to spend time working and fixing things at the k-hall while neglecting things that needed attention at home...now I can take all the time I need to maintain my cars or ride my motorcycle...things I love to do but never had time to. I am a few years away from retirement and the travel opportunities offered by my work are making that time very enjoyable. I am not sure if my wife will ever wake up so I am not letting this getting in the way of my happiness.

cantleave

I am 48.

2015 has been the happiest year of my life, everything is coming together nicely for me and family, 6 years after leaving the cult.