I was going to ***** and moan...

[flatbutt]

about some stuff being more than a PITA right now. Then I remembered what other members are going through right now...and I'm a bit ashamed of myself.

I have been and am blessed with some very good circumstance. It hasn't all been easy. I have faced and continue to face some challenges. There are times when I'm ready to say fug it all but that's just frustration and fatigue. I am a strong lil' bastard, I have a strong family and some wherewithal.

Those of you who are struggling with loss, failing health or other challenges I hear you and feel you. Not that I can make things better for you and yours. Believe me if I could I would. But for what it is worth remember what my old man used to say " you stop tryin' and you start dyin'".

May the power that you believe steers your course continue to bless and keep you in the light of grace.

thanks for listening.

[pwd72s]

Well expressed.

[ckelly78z]

Still recovering from a newly installed pacemaker (back to work though), which a specialist at OSU Wexner medical Center had to install, because my Chemotherapy port already had leads running into the capillaries he wanted to use.

Most people don't know that I have already run through my 9 lives, (including my Porcshe accident 5 years ago with 17 broken bones) because I try to smile, and suck it up, rather than being a cranky old bastage, like I have the right to be.

It takes less muscles to smile, than it does to frown.

[Jim Richards]

Great thread, flatbutt. My heart goes out to everyone that's going through difficult &/or heartbreaking times.

[GH85Carrera]

I will pile on with the "well said" flatbutt.

Much like to old parable of the man that complained he had to shoes only to see a man with no feet to understand a different perspective.

[greglepore]

Yessir. You and I have had similar bs to deal with, but it pales...

[Rick Lee]

I got home from a business trip a month ago around 9pm. Mrs. Lee picked me up at the airport and I wanted to head right to the grocery store to get stuff to eat the next day and ice cubes for bourbon. I was so sick of hotel and restaurant food. About a mile from the store the road was closed. No cop cars, just orange signs and cones everywhere. I turned around to take an alternate route, two miles later same thing, road closed, could not access that store. I was so irate, knowing I had nothing for breakfast the next day. Turns out a red light runner had hit another car full of teenagers and a 14 yr. old girl lost her life. They were still cleaning it up and recreating the scene. Suddenly I felt like a total doosh for all my self-centered swearing about not getting groceries. Some folks had it a lot worse that night.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by greglepore

Yessir. You and I have had similar bs to deal with, but it pales...

indeed. I hope your recovery is going well.

[wdfifteen]

Thank you! Great message.

[livi]

Good stuff.
When I face personal sorrow and difficulties I always try to imagine those who have it worse. Usually makes me feel a little less heavy. Just recently I diagnosed a 10 months old baby with leucemia. The kind that have a 60% survival rate. Obviously the family is in shreds. In a perverse kind of way, contemplating their faith makes me feel better about my own situation. Happy for what I do have that is fantastic in my life. Grateful and thankful.

[ckelly78z]

Every time I hear, or see the life flight helicopter flying overhead, I think to myself "I'm having a better day than those people"....helps keep my perspective.

[T77911S]

I remember this guy came and talked at our church. I think he may have had one arm after an accident. long story short.
there was a guy in a bed next to his with burns all over his body I think it was.

they ran into each other years later, their common thought was I sure am glad I am not that guy.

so yea, ALWAYS someone else out there with worse problems.

[Baz]

Gotta keep going......

[vash]

there are some great folks here.

it is crushing to hear of the troubles sometimes. that sick kid thread is heartbreaking.

i say we keep swinging for the fence.

[Evans, Marv]

I hate hearing some of the strife, stress, and misfortune some on here have and have to experience. I and some others here are getting up there in the years. Every year passing when you make it without any major problems is a blessing, especially when you see some of your contemporaries suffering and falling by the wayside. I get frequent notifications from my H.S. reunion committee of some who leave this earth, and that doesn't cover those they're not aware of. So every day I greet looking for the beauty that will unfold as the day progresses and the opportunities to accomplish at least something small. Some of us at this age level will have maybe 20+ years left and some not. It's an odd feeling when you spend your life looking into the distant future and get to the point where you are looking back at the distant past and realize you are on the short end of the stick. It makes you think about what you could have done better, enjoyed more, accomplished more of and loved more. So for all of you who have lots of time left, I encourage you to dwell on those aspects as you progress. You want to arrive at that later point in life where you look back with little regret and realize you could have done more, but satisfied you did the best you could with the choices you made. Hugs to you all.

[craigster59]

I once heard Beck Weathers speak. If you're not familiar with him he was involved in the disaster on Mt. Everest featured in Krakauer's book "Into Thin Air". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beck_Weathers

He was a doctor from Texas who wanted to climb the seven peaks. The gist of it is he was stranded on Everest in a blizzard, near death and was able to struggle back to camp. He ended up losing his left arm, all fingers on his right hand, nose and parts of both feet.

He described his search for life's meaning as he conquered peak after peak, but as he lay dying and frozen on Everest he realized that his whole life's meaning was back home in Texas with his wife and 2 kids. A very moving speaker, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

[john70t]

Cupid was a bad shot. But so was Darwin.
I'm still here and probably doing better than 90% of the people on the planet and 99% of humanity that ever lived. I thank God or Luck for that.
Youth is wasted on the young.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by craigster59

He described his search for life's meaning as he conquered peak after peak, but as he lay dying and frozen on Everest he realized that his whole life's meaning was back home in Texas with his wife and 2 kids. A very moving speaker, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Challenging yourself is great for you, but not so great for those that depend on you. That goes for time spent working the corporate ladder as well as those seeking enlightenment.