Sail Away

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Posts by Sail Away

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  17

  My Ex CO in Texas was 25 years old.

  by Iamallcool in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  he became co when he was 23. i was wondering is he the youngest co ever?

  his name is jonathan smith.

  he is from south dakota.

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  Sail Away

  In 2011 my last was C.O. was under 30 years old (my son's age at the time). What a joke! He was DF'd as a teen, graduated from M.I.T., had a return to God moment, got reinstated and quickly climbed the ranks.

  I served lunch to him, his wife and a bunch of pioneers, but didn't go to any of the meetings during his visit. That was fun! First time I ever got a thank you note directly from a C.O. instead of his wife-- strong encouragement to attend the meetings next time so we could get to know each other. Haha!

  Funny thing happened. Mr. Sail Away had invited a couple out for dinner after sailing the night before this lunch. I explained I couldn't go, because I had to make lunch for a travelling minister the next day. Turns out she was an ex-JW! The husband volunteered to grill the chicken for me, and then we all went out to dinner. So not only did I not attend the meetings, I didn't make the lunch either. True story.
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  22

  How Often Do You Come Here?

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i regularly check in to see what's happening but i'm not here like i used to be.. are you here every day?

  are you here as much as before?.

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  Sail Away

  I used to post daily on the old YUKU forum, and then visited daily here when they went to read only, but didn't post as much. Now six years out, I visit here sporadically, mostly when my PTSD is triggered by something JW related or when I am struggling with remnants of JW programming in myself or Mr. Sail Away. I try to stick around a bit to offer support in return.
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  15

  Up date on what I decided to do about back surgery

  by Still Totally ADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been 4 1/2 weeks since i had back surgery.

  i had l4and l5 fused, disk was suck out replaced with a artificial disk and a bracket or what they called a cage with 4 screws holding it all together.

  i went in on a tuesday and was out of the hospital the next day.

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  Sail Away

  Two dogs-- fantastic! Yup, my little fluffernutter is a ball of love and curls. She so knows when I need her care. Did you train Morgan yourself? I originally trained Emma as a therapy dog, so I felt safe when visiting psycho mom at the nursing home. My therapist recommended that I have her assessed to see if she could be further trained to be a SD. It only took about four months of daily work for her to pass a public access test.
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  15

  Up date on what I decided to do about back surgery

  by Still Totally ADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been 4 1/2 weeks since i had back surgery.

  i had l4and l5 fused, disk was suck out replaced with a artificial disk and a bracket or what they called a cage with 4 screws holding it all together.

  i went in on a tuesday and was out of the hospital the next day.

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  Sail Away

  Still Totally ADD, I'm so happy to hear you have a service dog! My little girl (photo stage left) is my service dog. She is a Shi Tzu Poodle mix. Emma really helps me on those days when I would otherwise hide at home. What breed of dog do you have?
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  11

  Jehovah (As Taught By JWs) Offers A Bum Deal

  by pale.emperor in

  1. watchtower
  2. beliefs

  i thought this during my wake up.

  if you think about it, jehovahs promise for the faithful is actually a bum deal.

  some would even say a con.

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  Sail Away

  That "probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah's anger" caveat and the re-testing after the 1000 year reign ticked me off even when I was a believer. Once I walked away, I figured if god wanted to punish me after 42 years of "faithful service", so be it. I wouldn't want to live forever with a god like that anyway.
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  15

  Up date on what I decided to do about back surgery

  by Still Totally ADD in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  it has been 4 1/2 weeks since i had back surgery.

  i had l4and l5 fused, disk was suck out replaced with a artificial disk and a bracket or what they called a cage with 4 screws holding it all together.

  i went in on a tuesday and was out of the hospital the next day.

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  Sail Away

  Still Totally ADD,

  Glad to hear you are recovering nicely and that your wife takes such good care of you!

  Opioid addiction is so incideous and dangerous. My sister is enslaved by them, and they don't work anymore now that she has developed a tolerance. She was up to 140 pills a month last I knew. Clearly an unethical doctor.

  I started taking medical marijuana for PTSD, but still haven't found the right balance to stay focused for work and be able to drive safely for daytime use. It works wonders for sleep though-- 7-8 hours with no flashbacks or nightmares.

  Take care,

  Diane
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  14

  Do you have a comfort dog?

  by compound complex in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  greetings, dog owners and lovers:.

  since i wrote "i walk dogs" a few days ago, i started caring for a new little fellow.

  feisty and noisy, bouncing off the walls.

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  Sail Away

  Coco, I absolutely have a comfort dog! I got Emma when she was five months old and trained her myself. She is nine now and is my constant companion. I traned her as a therapy dog, so that i could take her to the nursing home to visit my mom with me. It felt safer. Last year my therapist suggested I look into having her trained to be my service dog to help with my PTSD. We are truly bonded, and she is so smart, so it only took about four months working with a trainer to work on public access skills. Now I can take her anywhere the public is allowed except an operating room. She is a tremendous support and a real snuggle bunny.

  If you really want a laugh, Google "Sad Cat Diary" and Sad Dog Diary".

  Diane
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  14

  Not A Day Goes By Without Me Thinking About Watchtower

  by pale.emperor in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  although i consider myself completely "cured" from watchtower brainwashing, guilt tripping and propaganda, i realised today that there's not a day that goes by without me thinking of the cult we left.

  i think of my former family and what i'd like to say to them, what i'd try to explain and how i'd say it without them switching the "ignore" button and running away.. today on my instagram account my little step-brother "liked" a picture i posted.

  i didn't even know he was still on my friends list.

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  Sail Away

  pale.emperor, I so very sorry that you are hurting. There are a lot of things, a lot of loss we have to grieve when we leave this cult-- the loss of family, lost years, lost dreams and so much more. There is so much we can never get back, but the freedom is worth it. For me it's not loss of family, because my immediate family is out, but I do think of my JW life nearly every day, over six years out. As a child I was indoctrinated to believe that, as a woman, I had no voice, no role other than a subservient one. I could do nothing of value other than serve god in the way prescribed by a corporation. It is still a struggle. I hope someday it gets easier for all of us.

  A big hug to you,

  Diane
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  26

  Planning Your Exit

  by minimus in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  did you have a plan to leave the organization?

  i did.

  it took a couple of years but we did leave and never had a desire to go back!.

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  Sail Away

  No planning involved. I walked out of a ministry school meeting, because I just couldn't stand one more word about the coming death and destruction at Armageddon. I mulled over my long-standing doctrinal issues including shunning of family members for six weeks on my own. Not a word to my husband. I didn't want him to influence my decision. Knowing I wasn't about to shun my DF'd son once he moved out, I was done. I told my family I wasn't going to be a witness anymore. To say they were surprised is an understatement.
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  16

  I have enjoyed the shunning in the past. But why not now?

  by sinboi in

  1. jw
  2. experiences

  i am prepared for shunning when i send in my da letter.

  my dad was furious when he comes back from overseas and find out that i have da myself.

  yes, i do regret not talking to him first before i da...i also know that my mom is crying in her room.. but they didn't chase me out of the house.

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  Sail Away

  Welcome Sinboi! I'm so sorry your family is treating you this way. I agree with everything pale.emperor said. You do sound young, but you express yourself well even though English may be your second language.

  Be the best son you can be. Stay in school. Go to college. One of my biggest regrets in life was not going to college. It truly limits your options in life. So many interesting job and business opportunities require higher education.

  Also, do stop smoking. Both of my children stopped smoking within the last year, and I'm so happy for their freedom from the habit. They were both highly motivated to quit, and it was still so hard. Don't go down that road. Save the money you would have spent on cigarettes for your future.

  I care about you!

  Diane