Riding a wave

Hi @Former-Member,

I'm 40 years old. I think kids STILL read Enid Blyton...although I know the books have been updated in some ways - e.g. D*ck has become Rick, and Fanny has become Franny. ROFL apparently D*ck isn't an acceptable word here in Forum Land either - the computer just told me I had to correct it before posting {face palm}.

It sounds like you had a super day with DBT books AND sightseeing fabric AND a clothes dryer arriving!!! And yay for people that speak clearly!!!

I totally hear what you are saying about not trying to measure myself according to the goals that society sets. However, I have a real mortgage that needs to be paid with real money. My bank manager is mean - he won't let me pay my mortgage with altruism! Thus for me, even though the emotional aspects of being unemployed are definitely a very big issue, there are also very real reasons why I super badly need to be able to have enough money coming in.

Regarding getting a sense of meaning and value out of things like the DBT thread, I very much used to experience that. I felt I was kind-of creating a "job-like activity" for myself. Alas this all got smashed by the wrongness of the wrong back in December. I've been trying to get some support around that part of the muddle since it happened, but alas, no support has yet been forthcoming. I'm super hoping that TTT might be able to help with this bit of the muddle at some point.

I will take a photo of a couple of TTT's squiggles and you can advise me on what the heck to do with them. I gave her the ones I've already completed so you can't see those masterpieces, but I'll show you the next ones.

Alright @Catcakes @Former-Member @CheerBear and anyone else who is interested...

Here are two of the squiggles that TTT has done for me. Any suggestions as to what the heck I'm supposed to do with them?

Maybe I need some guidance from the truly artistic @Faith-and-Hope.

@Jupiter are you watching the ocean tonight. Any ideas about what I can create out of these?

TTT is going to love the fact I sought guidance from Forumites on this issue - I just know it.

@Phoenix_Rising For some reason I can only see an emu in the bottom one...

@Jupiter An emu? Really? I cannot begin to tell you how much I can't see an emu. Can you REALLY see an emu or are you just messing with my wonky little turtle brain?

Hey there @Phoenix_Rising Just back after falling asleep an hour ago. Not sure if I feel better or not.

The first one looked like a peacock tail when I first saw it. After a bit, it started looking like windows in a two story set of units.

the second one makes me want to draw cartoony faces - some in profile, some face on - around the squiggles using the squiggles as a nose, a bump on the side of a head, squinty mouths, an ear. there's a bird beak there too, or so my brain tells me.

What interesting squiggles you have there. What a delightful TTT you have.

@Catcakes ROFL, as with @Jupiter's suggestion, I can't begin to tell you how much I can't see that!!! Clearly everyone needs to print out the photos (or copy the squiggle onto another piece of paper), draw the pictures and then show off the finished product.

You know, TTT gave me this exercise under the guise of it being something I can do as a distraction as part of Operation Stay Alive. However, perhaps there's some deep psychoanalytical ulterior motive. Giggle, I wonder what the pictures you are all seeing say about you.

OH, dear me how peculiar to have had that sort of an update (to the Blyton books) - the way things cause us to change how the creative must be expressed. I learned some time ago that Blyton's works had fallen out of favour and did not realise they are still popular for young readers. The words that are sometimes disallowed are hilarious when seen in different contexts.

Yeah, money is a necessity and bank managers have no sense of humour either.

I do hope you can find a way through the December wrongness, I really, really do. When I can't talk about some things I have been known to type the words I want to say and hand my therapist a note. Not all therapists are okay with that though I discovered. It seemed logical to me, but, well that's why I'm not seeing her any more. My gp is good with it though.

I am your age + half again and a bit more added on to that. Over 60. My oldest child will turn 40 this year. I miss them so badly it hurts as a physical pain. Nought there is to be done. (Please, don't anyone suggest any potential solutions there are none)

@Former-Member oh another thing we have in common - writing out things we can't talk about! TTT is super good with being ok with that. I'm allowed to email once a week. The reason we haven't yet got to dealing with the wrongness of the wrong is simply a time thing rather than because I can't talk about it. This is my despair - TTT is AWESOME but there is only so much we can do in 50 minutes a week. And at the moment, all our time is being devoted to dealing with me having been banned from calling the HC and me trying to stay alive. Super frustrating!!!!

I am so sorry to hear that you are estranged from your children and that there are no solutions to this. I totally hear you regarding asking people not to toss solutions at you. It drives me NUTS when people make suggestions about things that aren't fixable. I super hate the phrase "never say never." Sometimes there really AREN'T any solutions. Some things simply aren't fixable. In those sorts of situations, I would MUCH rather someone sit with me in the pain, rather than try to reframe the situation or try to offer hope where there is none.