by mike047 16 Replies latest jw experiences
Mike, I don't even know you and you have touched me with this post! Beating an addiction to drugs and alchohol is a HUGE accomplishment and not to be taken lightly. I am sure that without even realizing it you have touched many people. We all do. Sometimes just being friendly to someone makes a large differance in their lives. I hope you had a lovely birthday and I wish you many more!
~Aztec
MANY THANKS for all the responses. I am without a doubt OK. My birthday was a point of reflection for me. It was as if I was taking an "open book test" and then having to grade my own paper. I just didn't like the "grade" I had to give myself.
Maybe I need to "study" more.
edited to work on my smilie
Edited by - mike047 on 13 December 2002 6:54:25
HI Folks,
It's that time of the year again, my annual evaluation.
On the positive side after about 5 months uemployment, I regained full time employment on the 18th of Feb 03. I have about regained some semblance financial stability. It is not much of a job[no ins. I would not have gotten the job if I had required the insurance because of my age....I know that is illegal but I wanted the job]. Compensation is adequate but not enough to live "large". Some overtime.
I still don't feel real good about my life and accomplishment or lack thereof, but have adjusted somewhat to the fact that I just won't amount to "much". After being "sober" for almost 8 years it is still very difficult for me to deal with any people at most any level.... I am for all practical purposes a hermit[ one cat one dog]. I can get by a day at a time but never really look forward to any thing or any event. It's a dull routine.
Overall, I would consider this year a C or C+.
THANKS for the EAR,
Mike
I did get a new computer, the other one caught a cold and expired!!!
Mike,
Greetings from another spot in Nowhere Land.
There is more to life than what we can see of it from an individual and present perspective (and I don't mean any religious hereafter). We are continuing the history of so many people we met and still carry within ourselves. And our life goes on in so many others to whom we have given something of ourselves.
I'm not religious anymore, but I still treasure the following sentence from Paul: "Nobody lives just for himself, nobody dies just for himself." (Romans 14:7).
Take care,
Narkissos
Hi Narkisssos,
Thanks for the thought, It will give me something to ponder upon.
Mike
Mike - first off happy birthday! 55 is not that far off for me. I will be 49 in a few months.
I am in very good health, exercise, eat right, have a good job, wonderful wife and son - bottom line, a lot going for me and to be thankful for, and yet, more often than I would like to admit, I have to battle depression and apathy.
As was posted here - I chalk it up to midlife changes for men. Women are not the only ones. By the way, I have heard that the depression/apathy thing tends to go away in our 60's. Something to look forward to I guess.
Found this little gem on a stock board that I frequent. Was meant to be of some comfort to investors who bought high and then watched their investment dwindle.
| http://www.middletownbiblechurch.org/christia/ngiveup.htm |
Also, since I am sharing personal stuff - here is part of an email I received from a high school friend who stuck by me, helped me etc., eventhough I belonged to a religion who believes she will one day be bird food.
Mak, over the past couple of years I've tried to let things happen the way they're going to happen, rather than trying so hard to control them. God has a plan, and far be it from me to tell Him what to do. When you walk back thru your life and realize the things you would not have experienced had other things not happened, it's pretty humbling. Even the bad things are necessary to get you on the path to the good ones.
My brother-in-law is an agnostic who thinks Christians tend to forget the implications of what they pray for. I agree with him on that point... we often pray for what we think we want or need, without thinking about the chain of events required to receive that request, or what may follow as a result. I think that's why there's always a movie out there about someone who has the opportunity to change the past or the future... and the changes they make often end up making the situation worse than it was!
Guess in many ways it goes back to the thought that you can't do anything about what happened yesterday except learn from it and look toward tomorrow with anticipation about how that lesson will manifest itself. That doesn't make the hurt go away, but you have a better chance of using it in a positive way rather than falling victim to it. I'm a firm believer in optimism and hopefullness. Others call it the pollyanna syndrome, but I think life is too short to always see the regrets and bad things. Ever look at the faces of people who see life as a series of disappointments? Every one of their facial features turns down. I decided I want eyes that crinkle with joy and not a mouth whose corners touch my chin!
end quote
Hope that brightened your day like it did mine.
All best amigo,
Mak
MAK,
Thanks for the thoughts and encouragement.
Mike
