Posted by pegasus on June 13, 2005, at 10:45:33 [reposted on June 14, 2005, at 23:08:13 | original URL]
In reply to What other thing are people interested in??, posted by pinkeye on June 12, 2005, at 19:22:18
I spend a lot of time investigating psychological stuff, too. There is so much diverse info and theories out there that I feel I could never get to the end of that particular fascination. But I have lots of other things going on, and actually, yes, I do feel pretty fulfilled in my life.
I think for me, the thing that made me finally feel satisfied was working though in therapy the things that I dreamed about or lost but never considered living in my real current life, and then figured out how to put them in my life in some form. That was so freeing. For me, that meant:
1. Doing a fair amount of volunteer work (hotline and in person counseling with women kids, and teaching poor kids computer skills) at first. And then later I started taking classes in those things as well (counseling, child development, etc.).
2. Adding a spiritual component back to my life, and finding a spiritual community.
3. Changing my home so that it reminds me of the areas of abundance in my life, and not the areas of scarcity. For example, I've taken down the framed diplomas and things related to my first career. I've put up lots of pictures of my friends and (the helpful members of my) family. I've also done some casual art, and placed it in special places. I have various symbols of important things to me incorporated into the decor (what there is of it) of all the rooms of my house.
4. Having a child, because that was something important to me that I'd convinced myself I couldn't have for various reasons. But I think a child is not a good answer for everyone. Like Dinah said, that's a heavy burden for the kid if you're planning for them to fix your life. Kids are a lot of work, and they certainly limit what else you can do, at least for a while. And they can be totally different than what you expect.
I'm not trying to talk you out of kids. My daughter is the brightest shining spot in my life. I just see a lot of parents that are not really into it or suited for it, and it breaks my heart what that can do to the kids and to the parents.
Good luck finding what works for you. I wish it was easier to figure out. But it seems like asking the question is a good first step.
pegasus
poster:pegasus
thread:512901
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050610/msgs/512906.html