I'm pretty emotional with your description of your 2024.
That's right: when one is very young the time seems like a river of molasses, and suddenly it press the accelerator and one stops and think Where the years went?
In my country it was common to put the great divide at the 15th birthday. Well at least for my generation was so.
I don't think that today's youth is very much preoccupied for that. They are too involved with answering the messages on the cell phone, or navigating the social media.
I'm 77 years young, but I still give my time to chat face to face with family and friends, reading with my Kindle Fire or doing indoor tasks.
Feeling lonely could give one a sense of unworthy life and falling in depression, but then you think I'm here for something more than myself. Look around and those feelings can and do disappear because there's people you love and people to meet for the first or the n-time.
I hope that, although 2025 is going to run like an Olympian sprinter, it will be worth to live!
The pressure we put on ourselves to be productive is insanely impactful. I had a similar situation where I just kept pressuring myself to get things done, no matter how I felt. Which is course, then made me start feeling even worse physically, never able to feel well, and increase my anxiety and depression. My exercise physiologist insisted that I need to go easier on myself and do what I'm able to do. And if I don't feel like doing something, it'll happen the next day or the day after that. I still find myself occasionally putting the pressure back on, and need to give myself the reminder to be kind to myself and let myself rest if I need it.
All the best in the new year Kevin! May 2025 be filled with blessings and good health, physical and mental.
I remember when you seemed to be everywhere. I wondered when you slept. I'm sorry you had such a struggle and happy you have gleaned valuable lessons when reflecting on the experience. You are an inspiration for readers and writers because you were brave and shared your story with us. So glad you are now bouncing (wiggling) back. ☺️ You are a talented writer. My daughter is living in a wheelchair now because, like your friend, her brain quit talking to her legs. I am going to copy your friend's story and send it to her. It will give her hope.Thanks for sharing his story. Wishing you a Happy, Productive New Year 2025!!
I understand the anxiety and the wiggling toes is the only way to really recover. I've dealt with anxiety since 1998. I have a phobia of traveling. I'm getting better day by day but I'm wiggling toes too.
Also my writing has been put on the back burner.. I have the novel written but the edits I need to do and it's hard for me to pick it back up. I find myself either doing the editing or proofreading which I really do enjoy or if I have no book to work on in front of me instead of taking out the laptop I find myself listening to music and winding down..
This next year I definitely want to get my novel out... I'm not where I want to be but I agree with you and I'm glad you're getting back to the enjoyment you used to have for writing.
Let me know if you ever need help I don't mind at all.
Thanks for what you do with your writing. I've always enjoyed reading your work even if I don't have or take much time to do it.
My 2024 started off with the loss of my Dad, whom I spent some of his last days taking care of him. He ended up with Alzheimer's hitting him pretty hard the year before and had moved in with us so that we could help care for him. That was definitely not something we were planning, but it happened and we took it on. I spent part of the year trying to close out his estate which meant a lot of cleaning and sorting through things that had meaning to him, but we knew very little about.
That sort of opened my eyes to know that I should get rid of stuff that I might be holding on to and taking up space, because it's going to just eventually end up in a dumpster anyways. We have downsized often because we have moved around most of our married life. So that has helped to clean out junk.
Your bout with depression is definitely understandable. I think we all get there at one time or another. High stress jobs can really do that too you as well, when you get overwhelmed. The last few jobs I have had were in those types of environments. I seemed to always end up in those roles because I guess I was good at what I did, but it took it's toll on me definitely.
After dealing with my Dad's stuff, Kris and I have ended up taking on raising our grandkids. That was another direction that we were not expecting to go at this time of our lives. But apparently God has been preparing us to go in that direction. There are plenty of times that we feel overwhelmed and like we are getting nowhere, but to have our grandkids come running in to greet us every morning and crawl in your lap with smiles on their faces, makes it all worth it.
We hope and pray that this year will be better, but trust that the Lord will pull us through whatever happens.
I'm pretty emotional with your description of your 2024.
That's right: when one is very young the time seems like a river of molasses, and suddenly it press the accelerator and one stops and think Where the years went?
In my country it was common to put the great divide at the 15th birthday. Well at least for my generation was so.
I don't think that today's youth is very much preoccupied for that. They are too involved with answering the messages on the cell phone, or navigating the social media.
I'm 77 years young, but I still give my time to chat face to face with family and friends, reading with my Kindle Fire or doing indoor tasks.
Feeling lonely could give one a sense of unworthy life and falling in depression, but then you think I'm here for something more than myself. Look around and those feelings can and do disappear because there's people you love and people to meet for the first or the n-time.
I hope that, although 2025 is going to run like an Olympian sprinter, it will be worth to live!
The pressure we put on ourselves to be productive is insanely impactful. I had a similar situation where I just kept pressuring myself to get things done, no matter how I felt. Which is course, then made me start feeling even worse physically, never able to feel well, and increase my anxiety and depression. My exercise physiologist insisted that I need to go easier on myself and do what I'm able to do. And if I don't feel like doing something, it'll happen the next day or the day after that. I still find myself occasionally putting the pressure back on, and need to give myself the reminder to be kind to myself and let myself rest if I need it.
All the best in the new year Kevin! May 2025 be filled with blessings and good health, physical and mental.
I remember when you seemed to be everywhere. I wondered when you slept. I'm sorry you had such a struggle and happy you have gleaned valuable lessons when reflecting on the experience. You are an inspiration for readers and writers because you were brave and shared your story with us. So glad you are now bouncing (wiggling) back. ☺️ You are a talented writer. My daughter is living in a wheelchair now because, like your friend, her brain quit talking to her legs. I am going to copy your friend's story and send it to her. It will give her hope.Thanks for sharing his story. Wishing you a Happy, Productive New Year 2025!!
Hey Kevin,
I understand the anxiety and the wiggling toes is the only way to really recover. I've dealt with anxiety since 1998. I have a phobia of traveling. I'm getting better day by day but I'm wiggling toes too.
Also my writing has been put on the back burner.. I have the novel written but the edits I need to do and it's hard for me to pick it back up. I find myself either doing the editing or proofreading which I really do enjoy or if I have no book to work on in front of me instead of taking out the laptop I find myself listening to music and winding down..
This next year I definitely want to get my novel out... I'm not where I want to be but I agree with you and I'm glad you're getting back to the enjoyment you used to have for writing.
Let me know if you ever need help I don't mind at all.
Hey Kevin,
Thanks for what you do with your writing. I've always enjoyed reading your work even if I don't have or take much time to do it.
My 2024 started off with the loss of my Dad, whom I spent some of his last days taking care of him. He ended up with Alzheimer's hitting him pretty hard the year before and had moved in with us so that we could help care for him. That was definitely not something we were planning, but it happened and we took it on. I spent part of the year trying to close out his estate which meant a lot of cleaning and sorting through things that had meaning to him, but we knew very little about.
That sort of opened my eyes to know that I should get rid of stuff that I might be holding on to and taking up space, because it's going to just eventually end up in a dumpster anyways. We have downsized often because we have moved around most of our married life. So that has helped to clean out junk.
Your bout with depression is definitely understandable. I think we all get there at one time or another. High stress jobs can really do that too you as well, when you get overwhelmed. The last few jobs I have had were in those types of environments. I seemed to always end up in those roles because I guess I was good at what I did, but it took it's toll on me definitely.
After dealing with my Dad's stuff, Kris and I have ended up taking on raising our grandkids. That was another direction that we were not expecting to go at this time of our lives. But apparently God has been preparing us to go in that direction. There are plenty of times that we feel overwhelmed and like we are getting nowhere, but to have our grandkids come running in to greet us every morning and crawl in your lap with smiles on their faces, makes it all worth it.
We hope and pray that this year will be better, but trust that the Lord will pull us through whatever happens.
Stay strong and keep up the great work.
Hang in there Kevin - nothing will happen to you that is not in God’s loving plan
Thanks for this. Helps put things in perspective.