Describe a life-changing event or experience

[prolesunited]

My life will change three weeks from now, so I'm in a philosophical mood .

What were the circumstances? What were the results? Was it better or worse than you expected?

[jandrok]

1. Having kids.

We lost our first one to a miscarriage. Our second pregnancy was a great success, my wife giving birth to my beautiful daughter. My son came 4 and a half years later.

Life changing? Oh yeah. What I expected? Nope. Better. I love those two something fierce. I can't remember what life was like without them, and can't imagine a future without them. Definitely worth every minute.

[Az]

2. At a boyscout jamboree

I used to belong to the Boyscouts. Never really thought much about it. Then we had this Jamboree. It was a lot of fun. It was a weekend event.

So saturday night rolls around. There is an observatory near the campsite and a bunch of us sign up to go see it. Good grief that was great. Looking out into the solar system. Seeing other planets. The wonders of the universe laid out before you. Marvelous.

Then the next day arrived. We were roused early and told to get ready for mass. ..... Mass? What the heck is Mass? Ya see I had been raised what we call religion Zero. Both my parents are soft atheists. So religion for me had never really been an issue.

So I get to the Mass and there are all the scouts (it was manditory). It was quite a somber event. Nothing like the joy and wonder of the night before. Mostly seemed to be begging for forgiveness for something I never did.

It was then that it really struck me that I was different than most of the kids around me. I was an atheist. It had never really occurred to me before. It was quite an eye opener.

[jonnyblitz]

3. being on a navy battleship that launched tomahawk missles

at Iraq during Desert Storm I. the results were i went from indifferent to politics to becoming politically far left (by DU standards anyways) and viruntly anti-war. my experience of being part of that situation was worse than i expected due to feelings of guilt although it changed me for the better because it made me politically aware and made me learn about things.

[lonestarnot]

6. Yeah that's a life changing event alright....

[jonnyblitz]

14. i didnt think much about it until it started...then reality hit

when i realized these things were gonna land somewhere and blow people up. it probably wasn't a big deal for most but it bothered me a great deal.

[lonestarnot]

23. Yep that is what I would have been thinking also. Nut'n you could do

about it but take orders at that point.

[LeftyMom]

4. I lost my virginity

and the next morning I woke up as decent a person as I was the day before. I rethought a lot of what I believed about religion and it's influence on my life after that and it really wound up changing how I viewed myself and the world.

[Blue-Jay]

16. Good times...good times...

[LeftyMom]

18. I didn't post that to be salacious

I was a bit of a fundie for a few years there (yuck I know) and getting laid was the first step to getting the stick out of my ass and taking myself less seriously.

[Blue-Jay]

20. I didn't mean to make light of your situation, my friend.

I just wanted to use this guy --->

[LeftyMom]

21. .

:rofl:

[DanCa]

5. Parkinsons Diagnosis seriously May '03

I don't know how I contracted this damn disease. I don't know why my balance gives out our my legs freeze and my hands move in and out by themselves but I have learned several things.

1: We must fight the religious right at all cost for being against stem cell research and cutting ssdi. Do you know that I have had some priest actually call me a baby farmer and a toddler killer for wanting to pass this research?

2: On days that I can move freely I realize how lucky I am. You dont know how lucky you are to do the simpliest things like typing our eatting soup without diifficulty. In short it made me appreciate life more in every way possible.

3: Fight for those worse off than you. There are times when I feel down on myself I just think that there are people with this damn disease worse than me. It has also made me more politicaly aware and that I have become both a disability and ssr advocate. Special shout out to my hero Max Clealand who showed me that a disabled person can make a difference in this government.

Take care everyone - peace

[lonestarnot]

7. Love that Max.

[DanCa]

9. He's an inspiration isn't he?

[lonestarnot]

12. He certainly is!

[Floogeldy]

8. Involuntary astral projection.

That'll do it every time.

[abbeyco]

10. Mine's a little tough to read

Sexually assaulted at gunpoint. It changed my life, my close friend's lives and my family life.

Not a fun thing for anyone to go through. The man was a serial attacker and targeted an apartment complex (mine) for his victims.

I am stronger for having survived the assault and judicial process. Although it took several months to catch him and 3 more years for him to get sentenced (48 yrs), I still believe in the court system and have become an advocate for women's self-defense courses and for crime victims to let the courts handle the process. I do believe that most times all victims will receive some form of justice.

Flame away - I am sure there are some out there who do not agree with my take on the justice system, but I'm confident in my statements.

[flvegan]

13. Flame? Hell, I'd rather stand and applaud.

Ovation.

And I'm sorry, for what it's worth.

[abbeyco]

25. Thank you for the support

I'm not a victim but a survivor and I try to impart that to women that I know that have had the same experience that I've had.

I appreciate your message. :hugs:

[flvegan]

27. And for that...

you're stronger than I am. That's saying quite a bit...

[DanCa]

15. Peace Abbey.

Hugs and gentle peace too you. Rest assured he'll burn either here or in hell or both.

[abbeyco]

24. Thank you

And I applaud your honesty in your post about your disease.

I am a firm supporter of stem cell research and hope that there will soon be some sort of breakthrough for your and other disabling afflictions.

I hope you have many more good days than bad and that you keep your spirits and strength up. We need more people like you around.

Be well, live strong!

[LeftyMom]

31. Thank you for your advocacy and your strength.

I'm glad your attacker was caught and recieved a lengthy sentance, but horrified you had to face what you did.

[flvegan]

11. Long: A friend's neighbor had this Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog)

It was a next door neighbor. As a pup (let's call her "Sam") Sam was loved and cherished. As she grew up, became less "cute" and more expensive to care for, she was relegated to the backyard. Never mowed, this backyard became her prison. No shelter. Little food. Little water. No companionship with the people she knew and loved. She developed heartworm. Her people wouldn't treat her. Animal Control was called, they cited, yet did little more. Languishing, "Sam" was now dying at 3 years old. You could hear the coughing and hacking next door.

So, the neighbor, knowing me as, well...who I am, called me. I'd met this dog time and again, through a chain link fence. Sweet dog.

I can still remember that call. He's a veteran, in a wheelchair, and he begged me to help this dog. That man cried. He knew me well enough.

New Year's Eve...fireworks (this date chosen for that reason...dogs bark relentlessly). I remember rolling my ski mask down over my face after being dropped off 2 blocks away. Gloves? Check. Leashes? Check. Forehead light? Check. Snips? Check.

I unlatched the fence. I tossed the cutters over the other fence into my neighbors yard. I'd not need them, and he'd collect them for me. Sam recognized me, and was eerily quiet (she usually would bark). She knew. I snatched her up, clutched her in my arms and ran. The two-way radio telling of my errant direction west instead of the agreed upon east (a car had appeared, and wasn't moving close by)...

The car waited for me several hundred feet away, running, lights off, back door open...

Sam didn't utter a peep, she knew. Tires squealed and a long journey ensued.

Today, in another state, Sam competes in agility with her adopted brother and sister. She's beyond happy, cured of heartworm, her beautiful fur clear of mats. Well fed, eyes bright...happy.

The last couple times I saw her, she would approach me quietly, sit, then lay down and roll over. VERY unlike her. Uncanny and amazing to her new people.

Nah...she just knows.

Sam was my first. Changed my life. Changed her life.

Maybe not what you were looking for...

[Rabrrrrrr]

17. I'm confused - if your neighbor called you to take the dog away,

why all the subterfuge?

Or did he want to be able to make the insurance claim that the dog was stolen or something?

I'm glad the dog was rescued and is living a proper life now, but I'm just....really confused.

[flvegan]

26. The neighbor, my friend, didn't own the dog.

He was the neighbor to the dog and her family. The dog lived next door. He watched the daily abuse and neglect firsthand, and then couldn't bear it.

In a wheelchair he couldn't do it. He offered to buy the dog, offered to take the dog...he was the only friend that dog had.

In more ways than one.

[Rabrrrrrr]

28. Ah, gotcha!

Two neighbors.

Thanks!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. its a lovely story

a lot of your stories are

[Texasgal]

61. More things to love about you!

What a beautiful story.....thank you for all you do Flvegan, really.

:loveya:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. being reminded of how much physically stronger men are

and how much physically weaker i am...


of not being able to yell because i knew that no one would believe me

that was life changing

[Ellen Forradalom]

29. Two

My brother dying of leukemia in my living room. I am so much lonelier without him.

Falling in love with, and losing, a man I loved 25 years ago, when we were teens. It hurts worse the second time around.

[prolesunited]

30. Hope you are feeling better

and taking good care of yourself and your little boy.

[Ellen Forradalom]

32. Thanks proles

We're scraping by.

Much love to you and I hope this life changing event is everything you want it to be.

[NNadir]

33. Meeting my wife.

I can't say that what occurred between us was exactly what I expected, but I didn't expect much.

I got much more that I ever thought possible.

[Jed Dilligan]

34. Being poor

Encountering life on the streets. That has shaped me.

[prolesunited]

36. What did you encounter?

How did it change you? What is your life like now?

[Jed Dilligan]

54. I encountered love and hate

And I learned not to demand reasons from the world, or that the world be rational. It isn't. My childish dreams of making sense of life were lost.

[HEyHEY]

35. First time I saw a dead body

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Floogeldy]

38. And what is your anticipated life changing event, prolesunited?

Thanks.

[prolesunited]

39. Those who know

are in the know. ;-)

[jpgray]

40. I'm in the know

Thanks.

:P

[Floogeldy]

46. It's really important that I know.

I mean, it could be a life changing experience! ;)

[Floogeldy]

41. Yes, but is there any particular advantage to those who are in the know?

;)

[prolesunited]

42. You gain no advantage by knowing

so, if you don't know, it matters not to you or me.

[Floogeldy]

44. But I CAN'T STAND not being in the know!

Getting a divorce? Joining the military? Coming out of the closet? Entering rehab? Suicide?

Aw, please share! ;)

[Floogeldy]

47. U gonna drop acid? Shoot heroin?

Murder your family? Shoot up a McDonalds?

Kiss a girl?

;)

[Floogeldy]

43. Having a baby? Marrying your life partner? Sex change?

Come on. ;)

[Floogeldy]

49. Going skydiving? Skindiving?

Um . . . gonna join Scientology! Accept Christ? Three weeks, huh?

Suicide bomber? Quitting smoking? Going vegetarian!

Well, whatever it is, I think I've nailed it! ;)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

45. I fell in love......

Many years ago...and he was good for me......

He helped me become who I truly AM......

He released me from my parents' inhibitions towards me.......

I am much stronger, wiser and better than I would have been without him....

My husband....the rock of my life......

I knew things would be much better than before I married him, and indeed they have been....


40 years and it isn't over yet.......:woohoo:

[Floogeldy]

48. That is awesome.

You are blessed. :)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

50. My dear Floog!

I know I am......thank you.......

I have been most fortunate.......:loveya: :hug:

[Ally McLesbian]

51. Went to London, England in '96

Five days with a student group from NYU, then two more days on my own. This was my first-ever trip to the other side of the Atlantic.

London, in conjunction with the NYU students, brought me out of the Dominionist mindset for good. I then stopped being a Republican, came out of the closet, and... my life was never the same.

I've gone back two more times since, and look forward to going back again once Tony Blair is gone from power.

[Oeditpus Rex]

52. Sept. 24, 1989

Woke up, looked at the empty beer cans on the floor next to the bed, drank my last two beers and said, "I gotta knock this off." Went to an AA meeting that night. Been sober ever since.

Three years later, my dad died. I thought, "Well, dude, y'gotta grow up now."

I did a little bit. :7

[astonamous]

53. Fiance killed in a car accident by a drunk driver...

I was 17. It totally changed my plans for my future and changed the direction of my life.

[nickinSTL]

55. Falling in love

Didn't turn out how I would have liked, due to a lot of factors, but the
experience is still one I'd never give up.

I fell in love with her when we were freshmen in college, 15 years ago. We were never more than friends, and it took me forever to get up the courage to tell her how I felt. She, needless to say, didn't feel the same.

We went our separate ways after college, and she's now married to someone else and I'm engaged.

I've never really "gotten over" her, but I hope that she's happy.

Despite the pain I've experienced, I'd never give up the experience of having felt that way about someone.

Today is also her 33rd birthday, so I've been thinking about her.

[prolesunited]

56. Thanks everyone for sharing your heart-felt responses

I enjoyed the happy ones about falling in love and having children and I am astounded by the courage others have shown in the face of adversity. May all of the days you smile outnumber the ones when you shed tears.

[RetroLounge]

57. I have a few

1) Quiting booze and drugs. 15 years clean now...

2) Meeting MrsRetro.

3) Birth of my 2 kids.

4) Hearing Oasis for the first time.

RL

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

58. The past 4 years of suffering with mental illness

This is going to be a very short version as I've got to get dinner on ;)

I'd graduated from Uni & was living with a friend, doing temp work with a plan to save enough to fund a Masters degree the following year. However six months in, I went mad. Literally. The world became the scariest place possible and my delusions and hallucinations were frighteningly real. A half-arsed suicide attempt took me back home to my parents, and the change of surroundings grounded me and made me coherent again. The depression stayed, though, and I went on Seroxat (Paxil) which did little to help. A few months later, I began to suspect the doctor of poisining me so claimed I was well & went off the drugs. Following that, I basically didn't leave the house for a year. (My parents didn't know what the fuck to do & basically felt that as long as I wasn't harming myself, I'd get better - and I don't blame them.) Then I went mad again, believing Mi6 agents were poised outside my window waiting to shoot me, amoungst other things. I then began having occassional - and I don't know how best to describe them - fits of absolute rage which almost took the appearance of epileptic fits (only I was yelling obscenities & all I could think about was killing someone). This freaked me the fuck out & I agreed to see a doctor. He referred me to a shrink & ultimately I was diagnosed with schizophrenia (I don't like the term & rarely use it, preferring 'psychotic illness'). I went on anti-psychotics & was fine for a while, though I went slightly off again about a year ago. However the drug I was taking (Zyprexa) causes weight gain & I put on about 4 1/2 stone. Unhappy with this, I asked to change drugs which was a huge mistake. Within a fortnight of starting the new drugs (amisulpride) I was in a horrible depression. I was staying in bed for at least 20 hours a day, unable to do anything. My shrink responded by upping the dosage with only futhered the zombification. My parents were really concerned at this point and talked me into asking to change drugs again. I did (to Quitiapine) and added a mood-stabalizer (Sodium Valporate) and the change was incredible. For the first time in four years I feel like me again. Nothing bad's happened and I'm actaully starting to think of the future. For the past six months I've slowly been getting over the huge knock in confidence, the loss of friends (I didn't reply to any phone calls, emails or letters for 4 years & many, understandably, gave up) and the loss of direction.

I'm only beginning to put a positive spin on all this (in a that which does not kill me can only make me stronger" way). I've been reading heavily in the field of mental illness and plan on writing a detailed account of my experiences. Whilst I have no idea what the future holds, I'm interested in getting into the field in some way or another. The past 4 years have been an intensly personal experience, oftentimes exteremly scary - brought on in part by my complete ignorance in the field. Given the number of people who experience mental health problems - from small to severe - it's mad to think that there is so little education about it at school/college. I'd like to make a difference to that -- how, I don't know.

(This is very rambling and slightly misses the point of your enquiry, so apologies, but it feels nice to get it all out once in a while!)

A much more positive life-changing experience was when a girl I had a crush on, aged 15, lent me a copy of Will Self's "Junk Mail" - it introduced me to William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, JG Ballard, Martin Amis, Brett Easton Ellis and more, shaping my interests and my academic persuits (I was set to do a degree in Computer Science, but during a year-out in Australia I decided to pursue my real passion & change to 'English and American Studies').

[Lilith Velkor]

59. The White Bronco chase

That was the day I figured out I have a severe psychological allergy to television, and tossed my set out the window.

I've watched people around me just get more and more belligerent since then. Media consolidation is serious bad mojo.

[fudge stripe cookays]

60. My dad dying when I was 13.

It impacted every other facet of my life.

My mom began dating an old boyfriend from high school who became an unpleasant fixture in my life for the next 9-10 years. We uprooted from Austin to San Antonio for 3 years for him until my mom got fed up waiting for him to marry her.

So we moved BACK to Austin, and they continued together. Finally got married in 1988. The entire year and a half the marriage lasted, they NEVER LIVED IN THE SAME CITY. He and I got into knock down drag-out fights, and she would never stand up for me. Because she was too afraid of losing him.

That situation screwed me up for a long time. And has caused some major shit with my mother. She and I have a very adversarial relationship.

Because of my insane need for a man in my life, the first guy I dated in college felt the brunt of my neediness. When we broke up, I OD'd. Fortunately, it was just Sominex.

I left that college because I couldn't handle being around this person so much (same major, same minor, all the same friends, same dorm).

When I got back to Austin, I began sleeping with anything that moved, trying to fill that emptiness. Ended up having 1 abortion; 1 miscarriage, and generally fucking up my life.

Until I finally got my ass back to school and got my degree. And then, everything finally fell into place. I got a good job, and I met reprehensor.

I try not to dwell on it, but I get so frustrated thinking of my dad and his smoking. I wonder if he had any conception how much he would change my life by not being here because of some stupid little white sticks.

fsc