Do you ever wonder if you are really relevant?

[SPKrazy]

I mean, I like to think I have some relevance. However the world goes on fine when I do nothing.

Some days I feel like I just go to work, get a paycheck, the government takes their cut, creditors take their cut, others take their cut, and then everyone is fine. However if I were to not go to work, would that make me more relevant?

Then sometimes I wonder if the things I think make a difference really make a difference?

There are very few things that I am certain of anymore. I used to think I was certain of many things.

:shrug:

Just the musings of a dazed and confused person in the midst of an elongated mid life crisis.

:hi:

[laylah]

1. Every single day

since moving back to Illinois...my menopausal moment has caused a lot of upheaval for myself and many others.

[SPKrazy]

9. awww...

:hug:

i know that you are relevant to kagehime

i know this because i've been told as much :)

[laylah]

22. ..

thanks, I needed that :hug:

[SPKrazy]

37. you are most welcome

your daughter is a good friend and i'm sure she didn't get to be the person she is without a relevant mother.

:hug:

[bicentennial_baby]

2. No, Lounge threads prove otherwise...

I keed, I keed...

:rofl:

[SPKrazy]

10. you goof

:eyes:

:spank:

:rofl:

:hug:

[bicentennial_baby]

12. I can't help it, it's the E coli, Edward!

:rofl:

[SPKrazy]

18. i know this...

and you should use some antibiotics and get rid of that stuff, it hurts....
;)

[bicentennial_baby]

28. Eh, I think I'm building up a tolerance...

:D

:yoiks:

[SPKrazy]

31. it that what it is?

:rofl:

[LostInAnomie]

3. I have about as much relevance as a fish's pubes

:cry:

[SPKrazy]

11. there's an image i'm not liking much

and i relate

:(

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. All the time.

[SPKrazy]

Well I'm Sure

that you will find some relevance in your youth and vigor.

but anyway, :pals:

I'm in your corner man...

[Starbucks Anarchist]

14. Thanks.

[LeftyFingerPop]

5. You are a link in a great chain...

and who don't even realize the lives you have touched. Could be that you changed a person's destiny today, simply by smiling at them.

Seriously.

[femmocrat]

13. Beautifully said....

Kind of like that theory about the butterfly wings.... how one tiny thing can have a huge impact....

:hug:

[LeftyFingerPop]

16. ...

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

20. The butterfly effect

the idea that a butterfly flapping his wings can create a change in the air currents that leads to a tropical wave and later a hurricane.

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

15. Sometimes I think like that

and even believe it

today, not so much... but this too shall pass.

as someone said in another forum about that statment "like a kidney stone"

[LeftyFingerPop]

32. I know...

I am sitting here on the verge of tears tonight because I feel so ill.

Times like this...I just don't know.

But...

look at it this way...

maybe someone else was feeling like shit today, and you said something nice to them, and then they didn't feel like shit anymore.

To me, that is what makes life worth it all.

[SPKrazy]

34. that's a nice way to look at things

and thank you for that!

:hug:

[LeftyFingerPop]

38. You're welcome...

it will get better. Always does. :hug:

[HEyHEY]

6. nope

[SPKrazy]

52. count yourself lucky

or young, or both!

[HEyHEY]

59. I prefer the term arrogant

As a reporter, I know I'm only as relevant as I allow myself to be. And,thus far, I've been relevant.

[SPKrazy]

64. okay arrogant!

:D

you are pretty funny and i didn't know you were a reporter, but that is very cool!

[HEyHEY]

66. Yup!

That's what the suckers pay me to do ;-)

[SPKrazy]

88. haha!

:thumbsup:

my dad was a newspaper guy, he went into academia and taught, and directed a program at a university, but he was always a newsie.

[mainegreen]

7. I have a kid, so to one person I am very relevant.

I can see it in his face when I come home.

[SPKrazy]

21. that's the one place i know for sure i am

and i am truly thankful for that!

:pals:

[femmocrat]

8. Ah...... I believe everyone is here for a reason.

We just don't always understand what that is. I know that's not the same as being "relevant", but if you think about all the good things you do and how much you matter to those who love you and know you, you will see just how relevant you are.

:pals:

[SPKrazy]

23. thanks femmocrat

that brought a little tear to my eyes

:hug:

[Danger Mouse]

17. I think I make a difference every day in the lives of the kids that I work with...

by being there for them and giving a shit about them when most people in the world don't.
That's what I tell myself to keep myself going.
Also, I seem to make quite a difference in kagehime's world...so that's pretty big to me, as well.

[SPKrazy]

26. Count yourself a lucky and good person

because you do things that are relevant and are relevant to people

:hug:

[Danger Mouse]

100. That was what was important to me. I've done retail, and being a desk jockey...

and both seemed entirely pointless.
I was blessed to find a job where, frustrating and low-paying as it is, I do make a difference.

[SPKrazy]

107. some of my frustration is

undoubtedly tied to my current position where i often end up feeling like i'm herding cats. i know that it is much more than that.

it just doesn't feel like it very often.

i'm glad that you are where you can help others because i sense in you a conviction of caring, and a sense of humor that make you someone that young people can reach out to.

plus, you are relevant to kagehime, so therefore you must be cool ;)

:hi:

[fizzgig]

47. you make a huge difference in this world

and not just to me

[BlueJazz]

19. Everybody at DU means something and is Relevant to me.

[SPKrazy]

29. We are quite a diverse group

and yet we all are (mostly) behind the same ideals and can and are a powerful force in the world.

:hi:

[BlueJazz]

90. Yep..We truly are Brothers and Sisters behind a common cause.

:) :)

[SPKrazy]

93. the voices tell me you are relevant

:D

[CaliforniaPeggy]

24. I wonder, every single day.....

Today has been especially bad for my relevance...

You, however, are very relevant, IMHO.....

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

33. well i appreciate that

i feel pretty irrelevant at the moment

you are relevant to me too.

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

46. Thanks, sweetie....

Today has not been good for me.......

But you just improved it a whole lot...:hug:

[SPKrazy]

51. as always you too

have picked me up and i love you!

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

63. How good you are for me....

I love you as well......:loveya:

[Xipe Totec]

35. You are always relevant, my dear CaliforniaPeggy

your presence is a gift.

Always.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

56. My dear Xipe Totec.....

Your words are so very kind...

They help heal the ache I feel today...

And you are a gift in my life as well...

Thank you....:hug:

[KG]

25. i faintly recall a time when i gave such matter serious thought

[datasuspect]

30. wrong spot

D'OH!

[SPKrazy]

i can only say that i wish

that i will be there soon

:hi:

[BarenakedLady]

27. I'm not sure of anything anymore

But I got one of these for ya.

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

41. thanks my friend

:hug:

back to you

[datasuspect]

36. i matter to me

and my family has made it clear that they do in fact find me relevant and worthwhile.

that's all that really matters.

[SPKrazy]

42. i'm in agreement

that you are relevant...

i'm glad that your family feels that way

[Midlodemocrat]

39. I know that I am relevant to my children and my husband.

as well as some dear lifelong and recent friends. That's good enough for me.

And, FWIW, I think if you wonder about making a difference, you will.


:hug:

[SPKrazy]

43. thanks midlo

that is a good thing to remember

:hug:

[Nicole]

40. Never!

I know I'm relevant to at least a few people. That's good enough for me.

I know that I'll never be rich enough,famous enough or smart enough to be relevant to the masses. I'm o.k. with that.

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

45. i appreciate that

you are relevant to some people

you always bring a smile to my face.

:hug:

[Nicole]

48. Word for word

I could type the same about you! But I'm lazy so I won't. :rofl:

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

50. ...

you!

:hug:

[Inchworm]

44. I wonder this as well

I've practically dropped out of society for the last few years. Not much is different in the world from my point of view.

I mean, I hope to think I'm relevant to certain people but to the world? I am digging out of that right now. Time goes so slow though.

You, Southpaw, are very relevant to me here. You seem like such a great dude!

:pals:

[SPKrazy]

49. time goes slow

and fast

it seems "irrelevant" sometimes as well.

but i agree you are relevant, and i appreciate your support and am glad you've discovered teh du!

:yourock:

:pals:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

53. I don't wonder any more. I know for sure now that I'm not.

But I'm OK with that. :D

[SPKrazy]

55. pfftt

that is very cool ocelot.

that made me laugh :D

thanks

:hug:

[RevolutionaryActs]

54. Doesn't everybody?

:o

[SPKrazy]

58. i dunno rev

probably they do

i just seem to be wrestling with that notion quite a bit lately

:hug:

[RevolutionaryActs]

67. You're relavant to me!

who else would be my stalker perv?.... klepto!


:loveya::hug:

[SPKrazy]

70. haha!

i'm sure there are other stalkers

but to be a perv and a klepto along with that

yeah, i'm relevant to you!

:loveya:


:hug:

:yourock:

you never fail to put a smile on my face revvie

[RevolutionaryActs]

75. aww!

And you just put a smile on mine. :hug:

[fizzgig]

57. i sure as hell hope so

i'm pretty sure i'm pretty relevant to at least a few people

but beyond that? :shrug:

i don't feel terribly relevant sometimes

[SPKrazy]

60. you've become relevant to me

:hug:

you are a good friend to me!

i appreciate that immensely

[fizzgig]

65. thanks, friend

and thank you for being such a good friend to me :hug:

(you were one of the ones i was talking about :P)

[SPKrazy]

Oh,..

:shrug:

thanks

:D

:hug:

:loveya:

[LeftyFingerPop]

61. Also, we can make ourselves relevant very easily...

Here's an example...

I was making a donation at the Salvation Army. Was waiting in line to get my receipt stamped for tax purposes. Woman in front of me had this little dirty shitty lookin' teddy bear she wanted to buy for her daughter. It was marked $2.00. This woman asked the clerk if she would take $1.50 for it. Clerk said....I can't do that. I thought "Jesus Christ!!!".

I asked the woman if I could pay for her teddy bear, she said yes.

I paid for it.

Who got the better end of the deal? I did...I was high for a week because I felt I helped someone.

Do little things like this everyday if you can, and you will have a great life.

Edit: Grammar

[SPKrazy]

69. that is a neat story!

thanks again for your simple (and i mean that in the best way) insight into being relevant on a microscale, and that does make a difference.

thanks

:pals:

[bigtree]

62. the most depressed folks I've run into over time

can't accept that they're just specks in the universe.

I happen to think accepting that is the secret to contentment.

[SPKrazy]

74. wow, that reminds me of something

well i can't link it because it happens to be on rense

but it was a comparison of the size of earth to different heavenly bodies, and ultimately even the earth is a speck in comparison.

there is some contentment to that.

thanks

:pals:

[Fox Mulder]

68. I'm irrelevant.

And I have grown to accept that. :(

[fizzgig]

73. i disagree

:hug:

[SPKrazy]

76. I relate to that feeling

I've also read some things here that remind me that there are people i'm relevant to, and that relevance may not be the most important thing.

however, i'm struggling with it

:hug:

[Fox Mulder]

79. I struggled with that for years.

Then I just realized that if something were to ever happen to me, the world will go on and no one (other than my immediate family) would ever know I was gone or ever knew I was ever here.

It's depressing, really, but I've accepted that. :(

And you know what's sad? Someone like Paris Hilton will always be remembered throughout history, and most of us will just fade away and be forgotten about in 100, 200 years from now.

[SPKrazy]

82. Paris Who?

oh yeah, her

yeah, we are here for a blink of an eye

One thing i read recently that was kind of cool, kind of weird. We are breathing the molecules of air that have been breathed by everyone that has ever lived. They disperse so widely that we share air with each other and all people, animals, etc. since there were any kind of animal, reptile, fish, etc. (I know they are all animals, I meant Mammal, but I'm too lazy to change it) :D

[GenDem]

71. Some days I wonder the very same thing

It's the senior citizens and Kindergartner's that make me feel needed the most, besides my family. The beginners and the enders. If I can't be there for them, for some reason, they are asking for me and wondering where I am and missing my presence.

Whenever I'm feeling insignificant I think about those two sets, and how much they lurves their art teacher. Then I feel relevant.

You, sir, are as relevant as they come. I know that just from the way you interact here.



:hug:

[SPKrazy]

81. Oh pfffttt!

thanks

:hug:

you are no doubt, and i didn't now you were in Wyoming...

I saw your pics in a thread of the lake. :scared: wind damage

[GenDem]

84. Not the state -- the county

Here in Western NY.

We're not like Arkansas :-) I've never experienced a storm this violent.

It was scary.

How do you do it out there?

[SPKrazy]

87. Awww, I Thought You Were East

how do we do it?

I'm enough of a moron I'm outside looking at the clouds. I've seen a few tornadoes, luckily off in the distance. Seen funnels and wall clouds pass over.

I should be more afraid than I am, but I'm fascinated by the weather.

fascinated and terrified all at once.

closets, bathrooms, all pretty useless if the tornado is big enough, but most aren't

wind, well, that isn't so uncommon.

I don't like heavy wind, have lots of huge trees all around my house and neighborhood

several years ago a big windstorm took down a lot of trees. it was pretty impressive and it reminded me of how powerless we are over the elements.

:hi:

[GenDem]

98. Our cottage is long and narrow

no interior rooms, and no basement.

I can relate to the fascination, and at the lake I can look out across the water and watch the clouds build to my west. I've always had a (probably peculiar) fascination with violent weather.

This may sound weird, but I was both scared and excited -- a touch of adrenaline, no doubt.

I'm bummed about the trees. Sturdy, old Oaks fell all around my neighborhood. One that is in my next door neighbor's yard had a fracture right through the center from a crotch right down to the root -- and it was spreading. They took it down Sunday morning, but between Friday night and Sunday we were all scared shitless. If it fell to the east it was plenty tall to take out our house. :scared:

[SPKrazy]

102. Sounds like a downburst wind

sometimes they do more damage than tornadoes

if things weren't twisted, and didn't look like they'd been sandblasted with every thing that the winds were carrying but were rather more blown down upon, then a downburst might be the culprit

I saw your pics though and it would be impossible to tell from them

big trees, fall hard. I have huge trees around my yard, and my neighbor has even bigger ones that would easily take out the house.

very scary really. But not enough to make me go cut mine down, they might be all that stands between me and the neighbor's tree :shrug:

[GenDem]

113. It very well could have been

All the trees fell toward the East.

There was two phases to the storm. It rolled in as just a typical severe thunderstorm with moderate winds. I thought it had passed. Then the hail started and with it came the 90 MPH winds. The lightening at this point was striking very close but it was clearly to the east, where as at the onset it was to the west of us. The hail lasted, what seems like, a very long time.

We don't live there permanently, so I won't hear anything until we go back over this weekend.

[SPKrazy]

114. It was definitely a rotating storm

a downburst is caused when the thunderstorm basically collapses on itself and forces air downward. It can be very sudden and is often part of the storm's recycling or dying out.

We sometimes in the summer get storms that are not severe, but they will sit over an area and rain themselves out and then collapse on themselves and cause downbursts

So even under circumstances where a storm has no real dynamics to be severe, you sometimes see that kind of thing happen.

It will be interesting to see what they say.

There is also the possibility that it was in fact a small tornado that formed? :shrug:

at any rate the storm obviously did damage

the difference is in what insurance will pay for. :(

[Lyric]

72. Sometimes.

There are times I think that we all wonder if we make any difference in the world around us. When I start feeling irrelevant, I think of this little story:

Once there was an old man who lived by the sea. One morning he decided to walk on the beach for a while, as the day was new and the sun was beautifully bright. As he strolled along near the edge of the waves, he noticed a young boy up ahead who seemed to be picking something up and tossing it into the ocean. Curious, the old man walked closer and called out a greeting.

"Good morning young man! May I ask, what are you doing?"

The young boy looked up and replied "I'm throwing starfish into the ocean. The sun is bright and the tide is low. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

The old man shook his head. "But son, the beach is miles long and there are thousands upon thousands of starfish. How can you think you're making any difference?"

The young boy picked up another starfish, tossed it gently beyond the breaking waves, and said,

"I sure made a difference for that one."

[SPKrazy]

83. Cool Story Oktoberain

very cool

:hug:

thanks

[RogueSpirit]

77. Nah, know I am relavent

I have kids, a girlfriend and a dog, plus I am the only one at work that does what I do. I am pretty secure in the fact that I am relevant. I do not want to sound concieted, thats not how I mean it, but it seems like I am pretty content with everyone in my life and my lifes situation.

Believe it or not, I learned this from my youngest son. He lives with me (my two oldest live with my ex). it was a tough haul, dealing with that breakup after 18 years, but he got me through it. I found myself burdened with all of lifes worries, rent, utilities, insurance etc, and he told me one day, "Eeeh we'll work it out". he said it with such innocence and conviction that I believed him. it was at that point that I realized, if I copped a good attitude at work, and a good attitude towards those that I am around, it would be ok.

Ya know...it is. We do fine. We have cartoon night, game night (he like Sorry! and monopoly) and movie night. He likes to cook with me and he tells the dumbest yet funniest jokes.

Yeah, I am relevant. My kid made me that way

[SPKrazy]

85. Thanks

what is it about 17-18 years?

I swear that must be the number that those who don't fizzle out early on hit the wall on.

:pals:

neat story about your kid

[lildreamer316]

78. I'm only relevant to myself.

.and maybe my child.

But, that's ok with me.:hi:

[SPKrazy]

89. Nah, you are relevant to others

i don't know you well, but you are relevant to me

:hug:

I'm not saying that relevance isn't transitory, but you are relevant to me.

Especially when you start a thread "where's southpawkicker" :rofl:

;)

[TOhioLiberal]

80. Every day...

...every single freaking day.

[SPKrazy]

91. ...

:hug:

you matter to me ;)

i appreciate your friendship

[TOhioLiberal]

94. ...

...even if everything else sucks in my life (and a lot of it does, as you know), I still have your friendship. I'm truly blessed. :hug:

[SPKrazy]

97. and as you know

some things suck in my life right now and I have your friendship too! :hug:

[Richard Steele]

86. The very concept is frightening to me.

Sometimes, all that keeps me going is the comforting
belief that nothing I do really matters, and no one
really cares.

[SPKrazy]

92. hmm, a helpful twist

i understand that thought though

because if you are noticed, you stand out, then people pay attention to what you do, and then criticism and scrutiny start.

:think:

maybe it is better to be irrelevant

:D

:hi:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

95. I'm relevant to me.

And I'm relevant to a handful of people that I interact with. But for the most part I accept the fact that if I wasn't here, someone else would be. :D

[SPKrazy]

96. while that is true

i'm glad you are in fact here

:hug:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

121. Me too...

Life's a gift, even if I'm not god's gift... :rofl:
:hug::loveya::toast:

[SPKrazy]

122. you are Godess's gift!

:D

:hug:

:loveya:

:toast:

:beer:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

123. Cheers to you, my friend!

:toast:

[bedpanartist]

99. Anyone who truly believes they are relevant is deeply misguided

and arrogant to boot. Oh yeah, I am soooooooooo relevant in this order of SIX BILLION human beings.

Now, I have no problem in wondering whether WE are relevant. That's what matters.

[SPKrazy]

104. good point

of course i'm thinking relevance on a much smaller scale. I have no doubt that I'm irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

Beyond 6 billion beings, the universe(s) are so infinitely expansive and are beyond my comprehension, I'm irrelevant totally and without concern about that.

It's the immediate surroundings that really matter to me.

thanks

:hi:

[MsKandice01]

101. I wonder the same thing all the time...

But I do realize that, to my family, I'm quite relevant. I'm quite sure that if something happened to me today, there would probably be a few people who would never be the same again. I have to keep that in mind from time to time.

[SPKrazy]

105. hmmm, I see that

and can say that at least one small person has been the reason for my being on more than one occasion.

:hug:

[MsKandice01]

109. ...

:hug:

[wildhorses]

103. without a doubt, i have come to the conclusion that i am

totally irrevelant. if i start to think different, all i have to do is step into gd and, i realize how useless i really am.

[SPKrazy]

106. Oh you...

gd, is no measure of relevance or irrelevance.

as a former ft. smither you have a place of relevance to me- heck, i've seen and photographed where you used to live! :D

so you are real, and relevant... plus you are always a breath of fresh air to me to see here.

:pals:

[wildhorses]

108. well, it is nice to know

:pals:

and thanks for the pic, btw...momma did not believe it was our house cos the driveway thingie really changed the look of it.

[SPKrazy]

110. i remember you told me that

i dunno, that neighborhood has prolly changed a bit from what i can tell.

but that circle driveway and all looked newer than the house, but not brand new either.

:shrug:

[wildhorses]

111. that house is over 30 years old.

i bet things are really different. i have not been back since we moved away.

[SPKrazy]

112. That whole area along the interstate just to the south and east

is all built up with stores, like best buy, and a hotel, and some restaurants, makes traffic on Rogers Ave. hell there for people turning on to 66th street.

:shrug:

:hug:

[Ptah]

115. No, I think I have a handle on where and when I make a difference.

My work (fabricating giant scientific instruments} is my hobby, my children let me know
how I affect their lives, I have a small fan club that
enjoy my photographs that tell me they are lifted by my pics,
friends I will never meet in real life that seem to get a rise
from what I key in and the checkers at the grocery store smile when they see me.


I am.

[SPKrazy]

116. very cool

you are a neat person Ptah

:pals:

[XemaSab]

117. So at work we had a project to relocate the creek at the airport

The creek was too close to the toe of the runway and had to be moved further back. We worked on it, we did our thing, good times were had by all.

Well yesterday 15 people were on a small private jet going down the runway and their plane failed to take off. They went 800 feet over the end of the runway.

If we had not moved the creek, they all could have been seriously hurt or worse.

So yeah, people can make a difference. :)

[SPKrazy]

118. wow! that is a great story

glad you made that difference

:pals:

:applause:

[SeattleGirl]

119. I used to, but not anymore.

I watch "It's a Wonderful Life" every year at Christmas, and a few years ago, after watching it, I started thinking about what life would be like if I had never existed. The biggest thing is, my daughter wouldn't have been born, but there are many, many things that would have been different had I not been around.

I may not be relevant in a big way like other people are, but yeah, I'm relevant in my own small way.

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

120. hmmm, well if sis is relevant

then i have to figger i am too :think:



:hi:

[SeattleGirl]

125. Of course you are, bro!

You are a very wonderful addition to my life, and that is VERY relevant! :loveya: :hug: :loveya:

[SPKrazy]

134. Oh sis...

:blush:

:loveya:

:hug:

[Evoman]

124. We are all irrelevant.

10 years after we die, people barely think about us.

50 years after we die, we are usually just some pic in an album.

100 years after we die, any body who we had ever met had died, and nobody cares that we ever lived.

200 years after we die, we MIGHT be a name in some family tree.

500 years after we die, we might as well have never existed.

This might depress some people. This might spur others to try to do something immortal.

I find it incredibly liberating.

[alarimer]

126. I think if I stopped paying my bills, I'd find out how relevant I was

It wouldn't take long, I think. LOL

I know the feeling though.

[SPKrazy]

130. hehe!

our new meaning in life, we matter to our creditors...

:hi:

[enigmatic]

127. No

I live my life to the best to my ideals. Whether or not I'm relevent doesn't really concern me; I'll let others decide.

[SPKrazy]

133. good point

what others think of me is none of my business too.

:hi:

[MissHoneychurch]

128. I do hope I have some relevance in other lifes

like my friends and family.

At my work I work with the public and I try to be friendly and helpful so that they have a good impression. Not of me but of the library and will come back. I do get feedback every now and then and that is always positive. So yes, I do believe I am relevant in the world somehow. Not much but still.

And I do believe everybody is relevant.

:hi:

[SPKrazy]

131. Thanks Miss HC!

good points for sure!

:pals:

[NMDemDist2]

129. nope n/t

[SPKrazy]

132. okay...

smart ass!

;)

[NMDemDist2]

135. since I strive to live in the moment and have the personality of a big

floppy eared puppy, it just doesn't come up, yanno??

:rofl:

[MistressOverdone]

136. No, because I know I am not

and that is okay. In fact, it is very liberating.