What's Happening In Your Life?

[WalshFan88]

How great T&H!! Welcome back.

[Tiffanny Twisted]

Thats great tiff
Have a safe journey
Good to hear from you

[bluefeather]

Hello T&H good to hear from you, especially when you have news like that! All the best to you and your sister

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Wow, T&H, that is so cool!!! It's great that both sides wanted to find the other and finally did!

I got to PA for Thanksgiving very late last night. After working 7.5 hours, I then drove for eight hours plus a dinner break in Columbus, OH. I got on the PA Turnpike (at New Stanton) just after midnight and the traffic was unbelievable, especially coming from the East and heading west. It seems like everyone decided to try and beat the weather by leaving after work yesterday. I woke up around 8:00 this morning and it was already snowing hard. They are calling for an inch an hour for a while, and we're to get over 6".

[Brooke]

VA, glad you got there before the snow! Even though it was an exhausting day for you it was probably the best idea!

T&H, what wonderful news about your sister! Enjoy getting to know each other after all these years! And welcome back!

[WalshFan88]

VA - Glad you made it.

----

I'm doing good so far healthwise. Kind of at a stable point. I'll know more about my foot soon but AFAIK, it'll be boot-less come December 5th unless something has happened structurally that I didn't notice or feel. My breathing is a LOT better with oral meds and inhalers. I wasn't near as winded for the Eric Church concert as I was for Fleetwood Mac last month. Part of it was less walking, other part was meds I'm sure.

I'm fighting some winter blues at the moment that I get every year (I have depression off and on all year but it peaks around Jan/Feb) but nothing I'm not used to. I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that I'm who I am and that I shouldn't give a damn what outsiders think. I've spent 26 years of my life always worrying about what people think or say about me, and it's been 26 years too long. I've never been a carefree person, but I'm going to start worrying less about others thoughts of me and move along as a person. In the process of being betrayed in my life and being worked up over it I've betrayed myself and what I feel is right. I feel like this might lessen some of my social pressures, but I still am a very introverted person with a fear (sometimes overbearing) of other people and it's gotten worse over the years. I'll never be able to be social or a small talker, but I'd like to not have the paralyzing fear of humans outside my small circle of family and close friends. Online, I'm much more open and outspoken, but I'm dialing that back some as far as who I trust and who I communicate with. My doctor said I was using online communication as a way to justify not interacting with people in person and that it was too isolating and potentially harming. I have cut back my social media quite a bit and also forums I participate in. I feel I spent way too much time on them for one, but also it was a security blanket in that I then felt I could do without real-life interaction and live in cyberspace. It's certainly easier for me to put on some kind of social personality online, even with people that know my name, but it is/was a front for a very scared person afraid of people and still is to this day. I just didn't have to see or hear them and so it was less painful. Concerts are the one place I can go as I know that no one is watching me - everyone is looking at the stage. It's my escape. And playing live is the only place I'm confident in real life, so I can focus on playing and not on the crowd but I only do that during the spring/summer.

I'll never leave my forums, but I don't want to make it my only source of interaction or friendship anymore. Not that I'll turn into a social butterfly (it's just not me), but in order to have hopes of getting over this fear, I need to confront it and try to make myself step out of my comfort zone and get out of this rut. I'll still be an introvert, but I won't have high blood pressure and chest pain just from being in a building with other people. It's a work in progress that I hope my therapist and doctor can help me with. I've struggled with it too long and I'm going to try my best.

My plan is to go back to Florida in March for another week in the sun before it gets too hot up there. No other big plans here other than the upcoming Bob Seger concert.

Thanksgiving was great and I spent it with my mom and dad of course but also had my grandma/stepgrandpa this year with us, which was nice. We have ooooodles of food in the freezer and we overcooked by quite a bit as we aren't used to company and the fact they don't eat as much as we do, LOL! My mom makes a casserole with mashed potatoes, corn, noodles, and dressing and mixes it all together. It's actually quite wonderful.

I'm looking forward to Christmas, our New Years Eve party, and our Super Bowl party (where I eat like a pig and act half interested in what is going on). It's family and close friends so I don't have much of a problem with anxiety and if it gets too stuffy I just go to my guitar room/man cave (although I don't play as to not be distracting) or bedroom.

Hope everybody had a great Turkey Day that celebrated and all is well with everyone.

[bluefeather]

real words of wisdom Austin, I'm very happy you've realized what you need to do and are willing to do it with hope that you'll conquer your problems one day, all the best!

[VAisForEagleLovers]

Austin, I have to say that I'm all for your decision to care a lot less what others think of you. To some extent, it's always important to care what others think of us, it's what defines socially acceptable behavior. For the most part, though, what specific people outside of your family thinks is not important. There are far too many people out there that find fault in others in order to feel better about themselves, and the last thing any of us needs is to be the victim of that kind of thinking. Everyone's path in life is different, and so the comparison is meaningless anyway.

There are a lot of people (and I try to be one of them) that do accept people for who they are. I figure, there's not a person out there I can't learn something from. We are all God's creatures, and every one of them can enrich my life in some way if I let them.

I've only ever met you 'online', Austin, but you've still managed to enrich my life in multiple ways. I hope someday to meet you in person.

[sodascouts]

Austin, you've been a member so long I feel like I know you, but I also know that "real life" relationships are very important and I wish you the best of luck in overcoming some of the fears you have to deal with. I consider myself a pretty harmless person, but I have dealt with a lot of hate directed my way over the years, and it is hard not to get one's feelings hurt and not care what other people think. It's something I need to work on, too!

VA, how scary and tiring. I'm glad you're safe.

T&H - oh my gosh - a "new" sister! I'm so happy you all have found each other! It's a life-changing moment for all of you.

[WalshFan88]

Thanks everyone. I'll never leave but I also can't stay in my comfort zone (which is me being only talkative online) and expect things to change. I have to force myself to leave the house even if I don't talk to anyone (just being around others) and not just be a recluse.