by woodland 25 Replies latest jw experiences
I'm one of the lucky ones as during my dub years I managed to get straight A's in highschool. We all left after my highschool graduation and I'm now in my junior year of college. So in the long run I won't have suffered a bit.
You can always make up for lost years. There are so many college courses offered in the evenings these days that if someone really wants to graduate, they can and will.
I often think about going back to school for something...my kid's encourage me to go back. But even if I don't pursue any type of education (graduated high school; married at 18...was in JW's for over 40 years...arghhhhhhhhhhhh!!), I sure am starting to ENJOY life...going out at night to hear music or just a leisurely drive on a Sunday morning...getting into serious gardening...yup...I think I'm starting to make up for some of those years...but I'll never get my youth back...and when you get into your 50's (well...next year anyway)...and the old body starts misbehaving...I know I'll never have the energy or health I would need to do many things I would have wanted to.!
But it's so good to be free!!! Cathy L.
I'll never be 19 again
If you still feel sorry for yourself, think of the poor sons-of-bitches still stuck going to meetings.
Hey, I feel better already!
I am in my mid-50's and I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up!
I was raised a J-Dub, and still am, but have set my mind mentally free from the Borg. I took an excellent secretarial course in high school and worked office jobs for a long time. I realized I hated being in an office--and people with certain types of degrees work in offices--so if one doesn't like to be confined, don't get a job or seek a degree that will put you behind a desk in a chair. Right now I don't have to work, but after getting a Swedish massage a couple of weeks ago, I may go to train for that. It's only a 6-month course, plus education on natural medicines, a little accupressure, etc. I love meeting people--and I don't mind working in an enclosed space as long as I'm not sitting all the time.
My daughter, who will be 25, got a scholarship while in high school for college in 1996. She went and enjoyed her college years. Right now she is considering going back for her Master's degree. My son is now attending college on a scholarship and is studying architecture and is working for an architectural firm, p/t. I was happy for them both.
One thing I realized that the organization doesn't help parents to see, is that it is better for your kids to be in college with kids their own age, than out in the workforce from high school--working with adults who could corrupt young minds before they are prepared for it. That is.....if your kids do not want to pioneer which I'm glad my mom let me have that choice. I did pioneer for a year but went back to working. Not that everybody is bad in the workforce, but I think the association there makes them grow up faster sometimes than what would happen naturally. I know it happened with me at my first job, when I started working right out of high school. People looked out for themselves and didn't care about young, naieve people just starting out.
I finished my schooling even when I was a jw. But if there wasn't any discouragment or distractions (meetings, services and etc...), I think I could have gone farther with my carreer. I've been thinking lately that my 12 1/2 years were robbed. I felt I lost my precious time.
woodland, you are only 25 years old. It is not late to go back to school. Good luck!
No I haven't. How do you make up for a childhood?
I dont think I will ever get back the years I lost...it was my whole life after all. But I think I will enjoy my life as much as possible from here on. I would live to do high school over or perhaps go to college and chose my own career instead of being thrown into one. But theres no un doing what was already done.
Woodland, I am also sorry that you feel that way. At one time I felt the same way. I have since decided that it's never too late.
As a wise person once said to me, "So what? Now what?"
To be honest, I haven't really tried to make up for the "lost years." The time that I spent in the organization helped make me who I am today. And for the first time in a long time, I like the person I see looking back at me in the mirror. (I wish he didn't have as much gray hair as he does, but I like him a lot more now.)
I agree with almost everyone else, it's never to late to chase your dreams. Heck, make some new ones, you're free to be who and what you want to be!!!
Frank, Bono is the lead singer of U2!!!
I guess because education was not deemed important when I was young I didn?t give much thought to what I wanted to do. A few of you made the comment that it?s never too late, and I agree. It?s very difficult trying to decide what you?re going to be when you grow up, when you?re well on the way to being a grown up!
