Daily Check In Thread For All!!! #166

Thank you Jeanneac, I listen to music all the time. Thank you for your kind words. I spend a lot of time with myself now and I have come to like it. I do try to go out once a week for a couple of hours with some friends. One lady has fibromyalgia too and understands what I go through because she does too.

So I guess it worked out for me for the best in a lot of ways, though it was hard in the beginning. And for a long time, as I have been down with this for over 15 years. But I think we learn to cope with things that aren't so much fun.

I hope you have a lovely day today. Thanks again for the kind words. That made me feel really good.

Hugs, Karen...

Hello All.

Jamie, I am glad that your mom is starting to feel a little bit better. How many more treatments is she scheduled for? Has she had any noticeable short term memory loss? I'm proud of you for the way you have been there and handled both your mom and brothers medical issues. Is he doing any better?

Lynnwood: LOL, I didn't mean to insult you by offering the idea of having you order your food online from the supermarket. I just know how I feel when I don't want to move or do anything and was looking for a quick fix for you. I'm so glad that you want to get up and do that on your own!

Karen: I like the way that you can feel comfortable with yourself and being alone (when not with your husband.) I have made a lot of steps in that direction too. But sometimes I still get really lonely and wish I had a significant other. But that also makes me wonder if that would be fair to the future possibly him because of my depression and anxiety issues. What about the rest of you? My first marriage ended horribly but for many reasons. How were you able to find your significant other?

Myself, my mouth starts watering every time you talk about what you are harvesting in your garden. Maybe next summer I can start a small container garden of my own.

As for me, I have a lot going on right now. My child support ended last week and my daughter is going into her senior year of high school. I asked my ex-husband if he could give me two or three months of an extension as I just opened my own part time business (in addition to my full time job) and I need time to get it up and going to get a salary from it. That idea did not go over well at all with him. I'm just concerned about having enough rent money for the condo I have been renting, so my daughter can get thru her last year of high school. With that said, I ran into my divorce lawyer this weekend at McDonald's. I haven't seen her in over 8 years. She called out to me to see how I was doing and we chatted about the above for a moment. She said to give her a call next week. I just have one question and she said she would answer it. I couldn't believe the karma behind that one.

Well, that's it for now. Have a good night everyone! Cass

Hi everyone. I have been going through the stay in bed, hide from the world, I'll face that tomorrow (broken record). When I do get up, I have tears in my eyes. I don't sob, just feel sad and lost. My dog is 16 1/2. He has Dementia now. I am on disability and barely scrape by. I moved an hour and half away to the High Desert in California. I feel like a stranger in a strange land. I have no friends. My sleep schedule is completely upside down and my arms and legs feel like lead weights. the smallest piles of "stuff" feel overwhelming to me, yet I know tackling them would make me feel better. I am scared of growing old in this world. It's a mess. I am a sensitive introvert. I'm not a young bar hopper and my life doesn't (can't) revolved around children and grand children. I can't imagine a "happy" future. I want to but it seems sooooooo far away. How will I build it? When will I be well? When will all the set backs stop? Is this life worth living? I feel so sad.

Thank you for the encouragement Karen but I just don't "feel" like "life is so worth living." That is depression for you. I have to pick my dog up now because of his back legs. It's a normal part of aging. Dogs deal with these changes better than humans do though. They just immediately seem to either "slow down to heal" or "accept and adjust" to their limitations.

CAssie--I am glad to hear some hope behind there... let us know what the lawyer says. We see a lawyer Friday to start Mom's estate. There is absolutely no issues with it. Luckily, my family does not do dissent very well. Even when my parents divorced, Dad paid child support and alimony until he died. I hope hubbie can be made to see reason. This is his child who will be impacted. I do get happiness from my garden--and it gets me outside at least an hour a day.

Kelly--this is the same as humans. When our animals get old, they sometimes need special care. One of my cats was diabetic for the last five years of her life--and the other died at 18 and half--the last three years she went down slowly. I figured out how to aid her. I put a pillow in each room for her to lie on. I raised the food. I made little ramps for her to climb to the couch and bed. When she could no longer climb into the litterbox--puppy pads and newspaper.

As far as your situation--and I mean this in a nice and ruminating kind of way--I sometimes feel as being depressed is really about enabling ourselves to do nothing. It's just easier to do stay where we are emotionally and mentally than to make small steps towards change. Instead of letting yourself become more depressed because life is bad--what can you proactively do to make changes? The actions do not have to be big. Enough small things move us to change. Commit to walking for 15 minutes every day. Find a book club or some other meeting to join. https://www.meetup.com/ is great for that. Go to the local McDonalds and join the coffee klatch. If these are too big--move smaller. Make a cleaning plan, a little a day. Limit TV watching to things you like not just random things that are on. Read. Plan. IS there something you have always wanted to learn? Now is the time.

A few years ago, when I was subbing for a history teacher, his class did an assignment. Pick a place you have always wanted to go. Plan a two week vacation-money is no object. Plan flights, hotels, places to visit and to eat. I had the best time!!. I went to Istanbul in my mind. I had the best time picking restaurants and places to visit.

Teaching and tutoring today. Garden watering. Hopefully starting to make steps towards a new computer!! This one has a completely full memory and it is causing real issues. I do so many different jobs online and use so many different apps, my poor little blue computer cannot keep up.

My recent magazine issue reminded me that I should dead head the dahlias so they will continue to bloom. I gingerly made my way through the flower bed to do just that and discovered one of the rain lily bulbs that I planted is up! No sign of a flower bud yet, but it is up! I'm so excited!

The rest of the flower garden continues to do well. I'm beginning to think the mimosa branches that were so badly affected may have been because I resealed my roof. Perhaps the fumes from the product? The rest of the tree is lush! Guess next year will tell me more.

The hummingbird is enjoying the honeysuckle which is blooming profusely, perhaps because they pulled out the rest of it from the neighbors yard and now all of the energy is going into more flowers. I see him at different times each day. At least, I think it's the same bird each time!

The day lilies are winding down but the mums are gearing up! The flower feast continues!

Hi Pitmom,

Hi Jamie,

I hope you are both feeling well. Thanks for sharing about your flowers Pitmom, I can imagine them when you talk about them. It takes me away.

Jamie I hope you have a good night.

Take care both of you. Take care all...

Hugs, Karen...

Raining here but we need it at this time. Not so hot today which is nice.

Pitmom, again, I love reading your posts about your garden and flowers. Thanks for sharing.

Jamie, I hope you are sleeping well tonight.

Hugs to all!!!

Karen...

hi, everyone...brrrrr. cold turtle. keep strong. really off the wall dreams of late. even pink floyd would be spun out by em!!

Rain, rain, busy day.

Went to garden and picked ripe veggies before the rain got started. We have flood warnings for the next two days. I taught. Then I met with lawyer about Mom's estate. Then home to read truly dreadful student writing. I lost another crown last night-grrrr. Time to put everything down and watch the news and a movie.

Boy--I hate student writing that is navel-gazing and poorly considered. Grammar, punctuation--that stuff is fine--I can explain those things. But if a student cannot think, or cannot clearly express an idea about the world, I get cranky and then I get sarcastic in my comments. Luckily, I crossed out the "verbal diarrhea" comment. Can I get a gold star?

Myself, you can have a gold star and a partial one to start on next weeks. Ha!!! I am glad you have a sense of humor. It carries a lot of us through.

Jamie, good on you for the washer. I am glad you got a new one. You will be in clean clothes heaven!!!

I hope you both have a good day/night.

Take care all...

Hugs, Karen...

You will find your share of students like that. Maybe only taking the class to hopefully get a passing grade. Meaning they aren't really interested in the subject. Which is sad in itself...

But I think the good students who really want to learn will make up for it. A lot of gratification for both of you.

Hang in there Myself... Have an awesome day!!!

Hugs, Karen....

Hi Marqi,

I am glad you posted on the daily thread. I think it helps to get things out and get comments from others and their opinions or experience.

I hope you are able to make new friends where you are. I am sure in time you will...

I think it is great you can hold off on taking meds. I stopped Xanax and ambien too myself a couple of years ago. I still have some of both stashed in case I need. I take one maybe once a month, if that.

I didn't have much trouble going off the meds which surprised me. Maybe it is because I know I have them if I need, I don't know.

I hope you have an awesome day today. Take care and post when you can.

Hugs, Karen...