by LyinEyes 18 Replies latest jw friends
Thanks LyinEyes for reminding me of all the things I enjoy now, after almost three years of being "cult-free" (like being clean and sober, lol).
Roybatty, you hit it right on the head for me: having the evenings free and weekends! I used to hate Tuesdays and Thursdays and had to go thru the day pretending I wasn't going to the meeting. Half of the time, I didn't. What torture!
Pat
I totally enjoy being with people I have CHOSEN to be with instead of people I am forced to call - ugg- brother/sister. I never felt familial towards any of them , well maybe 1 or 2. I enjoy my evenings with my family. I am so glad to not have to listen to the same guilt ridden manipulative &%$#@ anymore. I will never have to intrude on another persons space with a message I don't believe. There are so many freedoms that I had missed because of being locked into things I felt I had to do.
Life is a gift and an adventure... with ups and downs and twists and turns and I want a front seat!!!
Love - Sunny
Roybatty, you hit it right on the head for me: having the evenings free and weekends! I used to hate Tuesdays and Thursdays and had to go thru the day pretending I wasn't going to the meeting. Half of the time, I didn't. What torture!
Tell me about it Pat! At one time I was an elder in a congregation that only had three elders. Monday night prepare for the bookstudy, Tuesday night conduct bookstudy, Wednesday night write at LEAST one meeting part for Thursday, Thursday night conduct second school and give talk (and listen to the usual bs complaints from people in the congregation or go to some late night elders meeting, Friday night do accounts, make sheperding calls, collect publisgers hours, etc. Saturday field service, Sunday at least give a public talk once a month and go out in field service.
IT'S INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!!! No wonder we had a boat load of ex-elders. Honestly, we must have had a dozen of them in our congregation of about 100 people. JW's just don't realize that life is wizing right past them. ZOOM!
I always wanted to travel when I was a dubby youth so when I exited the borg, I got an education and took every chance I could to see the world. Been to so many foreign countries and seen so many different cultures....Life has been more than rewarding, its been a gas! Never too late to find ways of getting around even if you have to stop here and there to teach english to a chinese college student while you replentish your larder, or dig out after a flood as a volunteer. It's all worth the risk and gamble... The best of all was four years of volunteer work in the Holy Land being able to travel all over and see the christian, muslim, and jewish historical holy places and of course the byzantine and crusuader settlements. Just great!
carmel
I now live my life like there is no tomorrow. I don't know what will happen in the future but i lost the first 26 years of my life to the borg. I won't let the rest of my life be hindered by man made rules that i don't agree with. I don't ever wake up one morning when i am hopefuly 90 years old and think that i have missed out on somthing that could have changed my life for the better. I am going to cherish every moment in my new life with my fiancee and my new family and friends.
Great topic Lyin Eyes,
I totally agree,
I wasted 25 years of my life in the borg. Now I dont take anything for granted. I believe our life is meant to be lived NOW the best way we know how. So I completely enjoy life and my family and cherish every day that I am alive.
The borg always emphasises putting kingdom interests first, putting the kingom first and taking the narrow road that is cramped. So many dubs walk around like zombies. They aren't living their life to the fullest because they are programmed to spend all their free time pursuing "spiritual things." How many of you pioneered during your school vacations? How many of you went to all the meetings and in service when your family vacations? How many of you decided not to pursue higher education because of the "wordly influences" and instead regular pioneered? I know these things are mentioned quite a bit, but that is only because many of us now feel so free to be who we want to be.
Doodle-V
I always appreciate your thoughts, LyinEyes.
My answer to your question is yes. Once I stopped the JW life, I felt my life start moving forward instead of sideways. I'm still pretty young and am grateful that I decided to start living while I had the drive and curiosity to keep doing so.
Time is mine to spend as I wish. My thoughts can go anywhere and contemplate anything. Life is surely a banquet. And the small things we can stop and take notice of instead of rushing off to a meeting are lovely.
Thanks!
Simple things, like being a normal kid and hanging out with friends after school or actually going on the band trip.
After reading each word that you all work, I know , you know EXACTLY what I am trying to say.
I just sit here , smiling........tears in my eyes,,,,,,tears of happiness that so many of us have learned,,,,yes learned to LIVE life. Tears of sorrow for the time that was really wasted.......but still they are bitter sweet because we thought we were doing the right thing. I won't fault myself too harsly for that. I would change it in a heart beat if I could for myself and for all of us, but we can't , so we learn to live the rest of our days with sooooooo much graditude . Many may not understand why we feel so passionatly about living each day as if it were gold,,,,, I know my son ,( almost 17) wonders why I still post on this board and why don't I just get over it) .......lol.
When you spend that half of a "yard stick" of your life in dubdom, you realize just how precious each day really it is.
I would like to comment on each and everyone's words but I would be quoting things that even Shakespeare could have not expressed more beautifully. Simply..............WOW!!!!!!!!!
The wisdom , the love, the feelings, the passion, is so evident in each of your post. I feel blessed to know you all and to be able to share in the same feelings that we have.
Thanks for sharing your souls, your words,,,,,,,,,these kind of feelings make me feel so understood. That is so important when you walk away from something , like the JW's , it makes you reaffirm to yourself that you did the right thing. You see others who did just as you did and who have grown ,moved on to better things, and are happy to just be living each day.
Love to you all this Holiday season. I guess it is a time to reflect on growth huh? I look forward , finally to seeing where I will be this time next year in my life. I have no clue, really I don't , but I am excited to see where this journey will take me and where it will take all of you.......hugs Dede
