General inspirational stories....

[Just_Me]

Okay, I'm off to 40 year old virgin. This is the last sappy song, I promise.

I pretend that I'm glad you went away
But these four walls close in more every day
And I'm dying inside and nobody knows it
But me
Like a clown I put on a show
The pain is real even if nobody knows
And I'm crying inside and nobody knows it
But me

Why didn't I say the things I needed to say
How could I let my angel get away
Now my world is tumblin' down
I can see it so clearly but you're nowhere around
The nights are lonely, the days are so sad
And I just keep thinkin' about the love that we had
And I'm missing you and nobody knows it but me

[BethM]

Hey Westwood,

Just had another one of my surreal conversations with my husband. I used to bite but no more.

You Don't Know Me At All

I woke up this morning
with an attitude
Looked at the headlines
put me in a real bad mood
Sitting here in Limbo
tryin' to stay sane
Between the end of summer
and the coming of the blessed rains

And I feel dirty
all the way down
I feel dirty baby
just like this gritty town
I gave you everything
on a silver tray
Could have been a fool forever

but I'm not made that way
And after all these years
I think it's time to say goodbye
I'm doing you a favor
I will not help you live a lie

Believe me
if you think I'm gonna catch you
when you fall
you don't know me
you don't know me at all

I closed up the curtains
glad to confess
Baby I knew better
but you were such a pretty mess
You took my breathe away
but now I want it back
You should have killed me
you always looked so good in black

And after all these twisted roads
that we've been down together

I think it's time to say goodbye

And believe me
if you think I'm going to get down and crawl
You don't know me
you don't know me at all

After all these years
I think it's time to say goodbye
I'm doing us a favor baby
I cannot help you live a lie

Believe me
if you think I'm gonna be there when you call
You don't know me
you don't know me at all

You don't know me at all

You don't know me at all

You don't know me at all

[dogma]

Green Day

American Idiot

"Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

I walk a lonely road
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's home to me and I walk alone

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
and I'm the only one and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah,
Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I'm walking down the line
That divides me somewhere in my mind
On the border line
Of the edge and where I walk alone

Read between the lines
What's [censored] up and everything's alright
Check my vital signs
To know I'm still alive and I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk alone

I walk alone
I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone

Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Ah-ah, Aaah-ah
Ah-ah, Ah-ah

I walk alone
I walk a...

I walk this empty street
On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Where the city sleeps
And I'm the only one and I walk a...

My shadow's the only one that walks beside me
My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating
Sometimes I wish someone out there will find me
'Til then I walk alone...

[Just_Me]

Hey all, there is a spot for you to review some more recent successes. This guy apparently (sorry, I just skimmed) went dark after having dates, etc. I didn't copy his summary. I copies his response to Briget.

Hi, KAW!

I've been in hibernation from the BB
but have been thinking about you.
Well you're not the only one that has been in hibernation mode. Like the groundhog, I'm only peeking my head up briefly and it may be another six weeks before I get back.

Am I right in thinking there is a new CAW-KAW
connection? Yesiree Bridg ... there definitely is!

Last time I checked in on you, you were doing
determined distancing -- dropping that rope --
moving on.

Did your actions represent Last Resort Technique?
I suppose you can say that ... frankly, I was tired of the hurt I was going thru, so I figured I need the space for myself. She took it as I was turning away.

Did you go dark after you wrote your letter?
(Did you ever give her that letter?)
The event that made me decide to go dark also made me felt I had to write the letter, but I never it gave it to her. After a few days, I realized I need to write the letter to sort out how I felt and how I felt was strickly about me and has nothing to do with her, so there was no longer a need to give her the letter.

What happened to make CAW want to move home?
In classic DB fashion, as she admitted to me afterwards, when she moved out, she couldn't stop thinking about me all day long and she got to missing me ... but when for the first time she felt like she could lose me in her life, it forced her to make a choice and she knew with conviction that choice was to be with me. Then she got scared I wouldn't want her back and that made her even more miserable.

Was it hard to let her?
Well, Bridget, after three years of her going around in circles, its was tough to believe there is strength in her conviction, but in knowing my goal is to live a happy life with this woman, than I had to take a leap of faith on trusting in the sincerity of the feelings and thoughts she expressed.

Did you lay down conditions?
Well I didn't climb a mountain to write ten commandments in stone for her, but I did make sure she perfectly understood that I will never tolerate again what I had gone through for the past three years ... specifically the EA/PA. The only ground rule I put forth was that she can't no longer shut me out when something is bothering her based on how she thinks I will react. She needs to allow me to make that choice instead of her doing it for me. Its a tough pattern to break but I think this is one where my consistancy in change has made some huge inroads. Its still uncomfortable for her ... obviously still fearful in awakening the old beast, but she has been making some gallant efforts since moving back and my new ways are gradually putting her at ease.

Are you guys in counselling? No, after our last couple of experiences with C's, neither of us are fans of C in general. I think Michelle is a rare gem ... perhaps that one in a million.

What are your recommendations for other LBSs?
Oi, gonna put me on the spot here, huh!? After nearly three years of posting on this bb, to sum it up I guess it would be ... "To live with the conviction that only you can make the difference in your life and you do it be deciding to make today a better day than yesterday and life will get better."

Are U happy?
I will save this one for my next post.

Are U keeping a journal? No. Believe it or not, the only place that I have been inspired to express my thoughts in words or to journal is on this bb. Its truly out of character for me!

Are U wearing your rings?
Yes. Both of us ... and from the moment I said yes to her question of do I want her back, she has worn hers every day.

How are the girls?
I will answer this one too in the next posting.

Gee, seems I have a lot of questions for you.
Bridget, after all this time, I consider you (and a few others here) like family, so ask away. I'm sorry that I've been so recluse lately that you had to ask?

I am proud of you and your success, you know.
Awww ... shucks! Thanks and it goes likewise too. You do know you are a big success yourself in all that you have done for yourself in the last couple of years and that you have been a true inspiration for me in getting to a point where I could accept ... I'd be just fine without CAW if that would be the way it turned out.

I continue to send you positive regards, always.
... and you always have my well wishes each and every day.

And ginger cookies.
Its a good thing virtual food isn't fattening

Love,

Bridget

[Just_Me]

Here's the daily OM

Opportunities to Grow
Life Lessons
While we may not recognize it at the time, every challenge we face is ultimately an opportunity to bring more love and higher consciousness into our lives. The obstacles we encounter every day - whether great trials or minor bumps in the road - provide us an opportunity to learn and to grow. By placing obstacles in our path, the universe focuses our attention on life lessons that, on a deeper level, we wish to comprehend more fully. If we choose to, we can view any disharmony in our daily lives as an invitation to shed an old belief or behavior pattern in favor of a more enlightened one.

The challenge is to recognize the lesson being offered by a given situation. Often we learn about a positive quality by experiencing its opposite. An impulse toward anger may teach us about love or acceptance. A sense of constraint may teach us about freedom. A situation that appears beyond our control may prompt us to discover our own role in its creation. The lessons presented to us may encourage us to develop soul qualities such as humility, patience, or forgiveness.

Sometimes we are too involved in our present difficulty to find that higher perspective is more easily recognized in hindsight. Yet this doesn't mean we are without the tools to deal with it. Regardless of the size and nature of your difficulty, an attitude of love and gratitude will move you through it more easily and bring resolution more quickly. When difficulties arise, hold a loving thought for yourself and for whoever else is involved. Challenge yourself to find something in the situation to be grateful for, no matter how small, and thank the universe for it. This shift in attitude will shift the situation and your perspective, and it will bring you closer to that deeper understanding your soul is seeking on your behalf. Life lessons don't always come packaged the way we expect them to, and it is sometimes these lessons that ultimately bring us the greatest joy.

[Just_Me]

Here's a little something to dwell on....

September 14, 2005
Patient Perseverance
Drawing Strength From Plants
Each season, grasses, flowers, shrubs, and trees let a part of themselves go in the form of seeds. Every one of those seeds is a point of life, containing the full potential of the parent. In the quest to find a rooting spot, they are buffeted by winds, parched by sun, and soaked by rain. And, as likely as not, they find cement or stone rather than fertile soil. Yet each season, the seeds find what purchase they can and put forth their roots, slowly creating more space for themselves and pushing ever upward, even when the new world they discover is harsh and unpredictable. Seedlings are small, but a single plant can widen a crack in a sidewalk or turn a rock to dust through nothing more than patient perseverance.

In our lives, it is not uncommon to find ourselves cast into the wind, through our own choices or through fate. We are blown hither and thither by fear, uncertainty, and the influence of others. If we do find purchase, the obstacles we face may seem insurmountable and the challenges too much to bear. When this happens, look around you and note the seemingly desolate and inhospitable places in which plants have thrived. Given little choice, they set down their roots and hold on tightly, making the best of their situation. Then look at your own circumstances. Ask yourself if there is an unimagined source of strength that you can tap into. Look toward the future. Imagine a time in which you have widened a place for yourself and have flourished through your difficulties.

The smallest things in life, like the tiny sprouts, given time and the will to forge on, can overcome any circumstance and break down huge barriers. It can be tempting, however, when faced with rough or uncertain odds, to give up, to change direction, or to choose the easiest path. But within you, there exists the same resolve and fortitude as displayed in these courageous plants. You, too, in finding yourself in a tight spot, can look ever upward, grabbing hold where you can, using your determination to reach toward new heights

[GenuineG]

Wow la, that is really uplifting and inspiring! Thanks for posting it.

Take care - LR

[Just_Me]

September 21, 2005
Resisting Control
Imposing Your Will On Others
The right to make your own choices is a precious one. We grow when we have the freedom to decide our own paths and determine what makes us happy. Yet there are those who are inclined to try and control others. They may be driven by insecurity, envy, fear, or the need for power. These people are deeply critical of themselves in their own minds, and underlying that critical nature is unhappiness. Their need to feel sure-footed and secure is quenched by controlling those around them, whether they are friends, colleagues, or even pets. However, nearly everyone has found themselves imposing their will upon others at one time or another.

Trying to impose your will on others can be tempting for many reasons. You may feel that your way is the best way or that you have a keener insight into the direction their life should be taking. But, in imposing your will, you are indirectly saying, "I want to control you." Even when you have the best of intentions, others may end up resenting you for your actions. It is always helpful to remember that it is possible to influence people and change their behavior through education or example without imposing your will on them.

If you've caught yourself being a bit bossy on a regular basis, make a note of it. Write down what the situation was and why you acted the way you did. You may have pushed a friend to try something new, because deep inside you wanted to try it yourself but were feeling hesitant. Or you may be unjustly interfering with work teammates, because you aren't sure of their abilities. Next, make an effort to understand and accept their preferences and ways of doing things. It can feel natural to impose your will when you feel that you "know best." But there is a freedom to trusting others to find their own methods and joys, even when they might differ from yours. Sometimes the best course of action is to step back and relinquish control. You may, in doing so, see everything from a different point of view.

[FiatLux]

Hey there! A perfect post for me.

Gabriel