The way I see it, Wayne, we are blessed to have this place. I am very close to my sister and I have a best friend but over the years as our families have grown it has become harder and harder to get together and even to spend much time chatting on the phone. We are busy!
But you guys are always "here" and seemingly willing to listen to my incessant chatter without subjecting me to that glazed look that comes over someones face when you talk about what's interesting to yourself! We are developing real friendships and such support is beautiful! This is much deepr than fitness talk. We are learning to work with our whole selves and building our spirits as well as our bodies. We are helping eath other to grow stronger and to heal our imperfections as well as our perfectionism. In our loved ones, we trigger too many emotions to have this kind of "intimacy". I can share fears with people I have never met and you aren't going to take it personally and wonder if you are the cause of it in the way someone who falls asleep beside me each night might.
We are buds! My family chides me for being obseessive about this but they have no clue. My husband has an orange remote control plane, the Beautiful Bobbi, (aww! He's so sweet!) that he's very devoted to and my middle daughter loves anime... I treasure my Cathe DVD's and my awesome equipment but the forums are special to me. We laugh and cry and sometimes argue but it's all good and I have learned alot about being the best me I can be. I could join a sewing circle (I don't sew) or a reading club (who has the time to read these days?) but that would take me out of here and when I go, they can't handle it. So here, I have the best of both worlds. Something I love and people I love sharing it with from the comfort of my computer room so I am right here when they need me but I feel like I have a life! My husband tells me to get a life! I laugh at that because his "real" life is his job which often stresses him, keeping up with current events (which depresses me) relieving stress with that orange plane and this family. Mine is working out, volunteering at school, chaueffering teens, cooking and cleaning and the myriad things that make their lives run smoothly and this is where I come for me. This is real and enriches my life! It makes me a better wife and mom too!
You have friends here and if you are sad or stressed, never hesitate to call on us! We love you, man! I tried to email you in what became my first post to you but it came back as undeliverable Welsh Wayne and I think that's great because you needed to know that there are a bunch of women out here who think you are terrific and love to mother you and try to help you find a way to do what will lead you to happiness and contentment!
The world has changed drastically since I was born n 1962 and this computer and my DSL hook up, allows me access to people all over the states and the world and I am delighted! Someday we can hopefully do a really wacky thing and converge so we can meet face to face all the people we have grown to care for! My family will shake their heads but what's wrong with this? We live in a high tech world and we are using it to develop something truly remarkable!
Call on me!
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/user.gif Bobbi