We live in a small ranching community in western South Dakota where chicken roping on Saturday nights at the local redneck steakhouse tavern is the feature entertainment in town! If we drive about 80 miles north we have more choices. Without 5 meetings, door to door, assemblies, study, study, study, etc, etc, that kind of frees up quite a bit of time. We are middle aged couple with a teenage daughter and we need stuff to do. I can tell you from first hand experience what we have done has really assisted us with our healing process after 30 years of watchtower! We are members of a local church which has about 100 members. There is choir, youth groups, bible study groups, sunday school, quilting, sportmans club, mens club, womens circles. We pick what works for us alacarte, no obligation, no worries. Its great. Then we like to set an example for our daugter concerning meaningful community service. We belong to the Lions Club, IOOF, Rebekahs, the local theatre group, and I recently run for city council and was elected for a two year term! Then there is the group of motorcyclists we ride with in the Black Hills in the summer time. The more you do, hence....the more you forget about the past! We faded from the witnesses for about a ten year period and then we resigned and got busy with these other things. I wish we had severed the ties sooner and just got on with our lives like we have the last couple of years. No, we did not die, miss the end of this system, miss out living in a pardise, miss the resurection of dead loved ones, ba, dump, ba dump, ba dump..... We just started living! Go for it and never look back is our recommendation!
Have you expanded your entertainment choices post witness?
by Thechickennest 7 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
kls
Well i went to a male strip bar ,so i guess i expanded my entertainment.
-
Thechickennest
It's a start!
-
JAVA
Hello Thechickennest -- I see from the date by your name that you've been a member of JWD for a few years, but have only posted a few times. It's nice meeting you, and I enjoyed reading your post.
Moving on after exiting the Tower is important, and I think the best form of mental health out there. Some seem to get right out there and do it, and others struggle with issues of trust, forming new social skills, and so forth. It's nice seeing what you're doing--helpful hints to any looking for suggestions.
Yes, I've expanded entertainment choices post Tower. I haven't been to any male strip clubs like that wild kls, but have enjoyed some adult entertainment spots, attending a Unitarian Fellowship when we feel like it, a little traveling, and a couple of hobbies. It doesn't take long to fill in the hours spent in endless JW meetings. Like you, I wish I started years before, but why waste time crying over it now? -
seeitallclearlynow
Yes, definitely!
I do still find that after so many years of considering so many activities out of the question that many things are "locked out" of my thinking, and when an idea breaks through, for instance, going to the horse races, it's almost like a small epiphany. "Hey, I could do THAT...why didn't I think of that before?"
-
love11
Yes. I watched literally thousands of movies, so much that they are all blending together and I can't remember what scenes are in what movies. My favorite is anything in the criterion collection. I love it!
-
Frog
Absolutely! I went and saw the Dalai Lama speak not so long back...I've travelled to a couple of Buddhist temples high in the mountains...I've wandered through Vatican City and the Sisteen Chapel, amongst on Cathedrals...I no longer walk out of movies because of sexual content!...I went to the Moulin Rouge in Paris to watch a caberet show full of beautiful topless women...and probably lots lots more cheaky stufffrog... oh and of course I post here too!
-
phil78
For the first time i can go to the pub with the boys from work and not feel guilty. I've never done so much socially as i am now. It good to have friends who dont judge you for not making the meeting.
Phil
