What do you do to carry on ? what do you do for fun

[Cinnamon Girl]

Good evening roomies -- I was wondering how you all manage and what you do for fun -- how do you make it through another day -- how do you press on -- what keeps you in the game ?


For me, my hubby being here is a big deal and I am so thankful just to be here with him, sharing whats left of life --trying to pick up the pieces from the rejection of our children...and dealing with all this illness ontop of it all...that said -- I oft feel like I am such a burden to him and such a drag and he be better off without me ...

my 2 granddaughters and spening time with them-- son won't talk
my 6 year old grandson -- we sorta get to see once every 3 months or so...daughter wont talk.
knowing I have a new grandson 7 months old we are not allowed to see...son wont talk...sometimes i can sneak a peek at what he looks like from a friends FaceBook but it is most painful....so mostly i dont want to look anymore...

I love to sing in te chorus but have not been able to attend lately.
I love bringing my 300+ marionettes and puppets alive ...but I dont get to entertain so much with them anymore -- they are kept tucked away...waiting for my touch --waiting for my writing --waiting for an eager audience to perfom for --

I love working my job but can only do 3 hours once a week
Today i began to volunteer at the Salvation Army Store and Food Bank... it was great to be able to help if only for an hour..problem being I can doo all these tings but it doenst stop the pain in my shattered heart that longs to have my sons and daughters back in our lives. We dont gamble...we dont drink..we dont do drugs..my family is astounded and appalled with the way they are behaving--

Am hoping the cymbalta( 5th day) will start working soon and make my feelings less intense --not to mention it helps with neuropathic foot pain etc...still waiting for the salagen to kick in...starting week 3..on waiting list to see a counsellor and getting some counselling from Pastor/

sorry for ranting on -- i dont have a safe place to post anywhere else.

[Joe S.]

I know that I am nosey. What happened with your kids?

For the past year I have not done much. I used to come up with strange ideas and prototype them. A number of years ago, I convinced some friends to help me build the DART. A lifting body that I designed after talking with an Areo engineer. In a 20 mph wind it took off. We towed it at 20mph and it lifted over 1100 pounds!

My daughter wanted me out of the way before her wedding. So I asked a friend to help me and we made a small (16 inch long) ram jet engine that would start with just a 5 mph wind. It screamed like a banshee when it was running.

For Halloween a few year ago I build a Jacob's ladder. Just what every mad scientist needs!

One day I got a couple of friends together and we assembled some automotive ignition coils with power amplifiers and spark gaps to make plasma sound system.

When I was younger I built a variety of computers from parts. High speed, serial and parallel processing, sign-weighted phase proportional logic for holographic processing.

Oh well, that's a past life now.

[Cinnamon Girl]

Wow Joe you do so many fascinating things !
Its so nice to hear about your activities .Life must be such fun @ your place
my kids --- its complicated to explain -- hubby and I seperated for a year, dated others, got divorced and within a month we were back together ...been back together 7 years -- time people accept that . we have our struggles like everyone else..we choose to be together we love one another and take care as best we can...my hubby was and is a phenominal father !...this ought not to have happen to him !! it makes me so mad. its just all so extreme and harshly cruel.

[Joe S.]

You talk about fun, yes when the kids were young ours was the house that everyone came to. My oldest daughter once complemented me as the the most creative person she knew. Both girls turned out okay. I was worried about our youngest. But having children has mellowed her out a bit. We do not have a lot of money be we do love and care about each other. I think that is one of the goals in life.

[Scottietottie]

Hi 

I still work 25 hours a week. I would like to work a bit less than that but, I guess, at the moment I'm just lucky to have a job. Many people are losing theirs just now.

I work with young people who have been put on 'alternative education'. They can be pretty challenging but we also quite often do fun things at work and laughter really is the best medicine.

Ouside of work I'm usually pretty lethargic but I spend a lot of time at the computer and play far too many silly games on Facebook!!  I have 4 grown up kids but they have all moved away from home now so I seldom see them. I do catch them on MSN quite often, so we keep in touch. I go to a singing group on a Saturday morning which I enjoy.

Hubby and I rarely do anything together but he's fantastic round the house and does most of the cooking. We're not as close as we were though but we're not fighting.

I do my best to concentrate on what I can do - not on what I can't.

Take care - Scottie 

[Cinnamon Girl]

Thanks for sharing ScottieTottie ---Joe when our kids were growing up our place was rhe palce to be too...we did alot with them , kids were always coming around...it was great --- so....hotdam what happen eh.
Scottie, your work sounds very challenging and fun. I know it must take alot of creative energy...and the way you help  those kids is very much needed in this crazy world. Thanks for all you do. My one grandson is autistic and HDAD (newly diagnosed)...
  I know about the hubby thing.I need to be doing more with mine...although what to do I have no idea....maybe a good new thread topic...how to keep the realtionship through illness...hmmmm

[Katybarstool]

Cin

We have had an estranged son for almost three years. We did have one reconciliation, but it didn't work. However, we have had contact in the past couple of months, and are slowly rebuilding our relationship. However, the two other sons, who have been very loyal to thier dad and I, have trouble accepting our renewed reltionship with their older brother.  This is causing us some pain, but we have to work through it.

The thing is, our family was always so close, and I could never imagine having such a rift between us and our kids, but unfortunately, it happened.

When I had surgery in the summer, I attended the hospital chapel for mass. It was a very emotional time, and I trusted the vicar with my concern about the son who was estranged. He promised to pray for us, and I'm convinced this helped. So, I'm going to pray for you and your kids, if that's okay with you?

Hugs
Kathyx

[navydad]

Used to love to go metal detecting,, in 2008 I found over 3,000 coins,, about 10 gold rings and countless pieces of junk,, cant do it anymore,,

[Pegasus47]

Hi Everyone:

It is nice to hear different stories.

Being in pain set our mindsets at a different level.  Get depressed easily.

Looks like my symptoms are under control.  So I had my family over for Thanksgiving, smoked a turkey, everyone else chipped in to help.  Had a great time.  I figured I better enjoy what I have now.  Never know when the storm is going to hit.

I do sing in a choir, and do tango dancing every week.  Looking forward to my favorite things to do keeps me in an upbeat mood.  That is a good thing. 

Pegasus

[Rhonda]

I just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  Having worked until this past July, I am still adjusting to a new schedule.  My family keeps me going, but I often feel like a burden to them.  THey keep telling me I am not and they just enjoy being with  me.  So, I trudge on, finding comfort and joy in the little things.  Hugs.

[Pisces24]

I have been working long hours lately    but for fun I
1) Love going to garage sales & thrift shops. I don't buy much but I meet a lot of nice folks
2) Play with my cats who are like little kids in cat suits.
3) Volunteer for a group that helps disabled elderly folks keep their companion pet.
     Lots of them don't have any family or if they do they are "out of the picture".
4) Voracious reader but I have too many books as it is & I don't like returning the ones I get from the library. LOL
5) Work on my family genealogy (I'm off and on on that.)

Way back when my dad was living and in good health, we used to work on refinishing small furniture pieces and go fishing.  I don't do that  as it is just not fun for me anymore.

[Carolina]

Hi Cinnamon:

I like: 
           reading:  books, newspapers and magazines
           movies
           email
           facebook
           bridge
           movies
           water exercise
           family  and family activities
           my cats
           shopping on line
           being married 48 years
           my husband, who should come first
           A Newcomers Club that I've joined here
           knowing that tho' we've only been here 7.5 months, we're NOT moving again (well, don't plan to move again).
           project:   transfer VHS tapes to DVDs.   I only have about 60 more to do!   ON hold since forever.
           project:  figure OUT what to do with over 30 photo albums.  Should they be scanned onto CDs? 
           project:  remove wall paper from two bathrooms.  I did the guest powder room, which was small AND easy.  Two more to go!
           We tutor our grandsons one afternoon a week, and will have them several days during the school winter break.

My life is very good.   I'm very lucky.   

And very grateful.

I try not to think about the things I can't do anymore.

It takes a while to adjust to each new change.

Kisses

Elaine