for everyone who is feeling depressed
Jun 29th 2004, 11:08 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 98
for everyone who is feeling depressed
hi all,
we are hoping to move to australia and have just started the ball rolling,i have already got myself in a state with all that is in front of me,the form filling out,leaving family behind and the waiting to see if we have been lucky enough to be granted a visa.
i find myself thinking why has it got to be so complicated and then i think of what is at the end of it, this then cheers me up.i have a good job and a nice house,all my kids have grown up and i really don't have anything to get down about,but we are all human and cannot help taking things for granted, so when you think you are being hard done by just stand back and have a look at what you have got or what you are going to get.
what made me post this message was a posting from sam who's husband has just been made redundant(sorry to hear that)and they are waiting to see if he is going to be granted a visa,as i said above i have just started and am getting in a state so i can imagine how sam feels,i think sell the house as there is no reason not to get the visa.
in the very early nineties i went to romania as part of a 6 man team,we had to install plumbing and heating in an orphanage,the orphanage was an hours drive into the country from the town we stayed in.every morning driving there i would see old ladies who looked in their 80's carrying or dragging bundles of branches,remember there was nothing for miles around and god only knows where they were taking them,my job was to pipe up the boiler which was outside in a lean to(made out of mud to start with),the 1st morning we were there i noticed an old man i had seen walking along the road turn up at the orphanage and i was told his job everyday was to walk to "work" and take the donkey for a walk,this old man had no teeth in his head but i gave him a bar of galaxy chocolate,the same as somebody giving you or i £50,you would not believe the look of gratitude on the old boys face,he then promptly broke the bar in half and gave half to the donkey.he used to turn up every morning just to walk the donkey and would not return until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
there were a lot of kids at the orphanage,all had big broad smiles,one of them was a lovely little girl who could not walk properly,her mum was a prostitute and chained the little girl up when she was a baby.i cannot blame any of you who do not believe me,i wouldn't if i had not seen it with my own eyes,one night 2 of us had to go back to the orphanage to show one of the romanian volunteers how to strip down the burner for servicing the boiler,their oil was like tar so maintenance was going to have to be done every day,the volunteer was not going to be about during the day so thats why we had to go back at night,the people in charge said they would prefer it if we did not get to involved with the kids as it could unsettle them,i had been dying to give the little girl with the damaged legs a cuddle,she was never sad and always had a smile on her face,anyway that night after we had shown matey how to service the boiler i begged one of the helpers if i could spend some tiome with the kids and the helper said just 5 mins,my mate and i went in and there was probably 5 kids who had not been put to bed yet,we sat at the table with them and i had the little girl with the damaged legs on my lap.the kids were well into god & jesus so i drew a church with a cross for the little girl and her smile went from ear to ear,i cried like a baby going back to where we were staying.
we took loads of sweets and toys with us and one dinner time went outside the orphanage to knock on doors and hand out the goodies,remember these people had nothing,one old girl who i had given a penguin chocolate bar to grabbed my hand and bloody kissed it like i was royalty,just for a poxy penguin.
when we fired up the new heating system and the rads got hot the kids thought it was magical,you could see it in their eyes,when the hot water cylinder was upto temperature and hot water was coming out the tap one of the workers tried making a pot of tea with it,it was unbelievable that they had never ever had anything like this in their lives,it was the 1st western style heating installation in romania.every day for dinner at the orphanage we had potatoes and cabbage cooked in different styles,this was their way of life and they knew no better.
i could go on and on about the things i witnessed out there but i think you get the picture now.this is the 1st time i have relayed this to strangers and i am not on an ego trip,there were other volunteers out there who nobody knows about that deserve recognition,they do it all the time,i was out there for 1 week.
hopefully you will read this and it will put your problems into perspective.there is always someone worse of than you.
we are hoping to move to australia and have just started the ball rolling,i have already got myself in a state with all that is in front of me,the form filling out,leaving family behind and the waiting to see if we have been lucky enough to be granted a visa.
i find myself thinking why has it got to be so complicated and then i think of what is at the end of it, this then cheers me up.i have a good job and a nice house,all my kids have grown up and i really don't have anything to get down about,but we are all human and cannot help taking things for granted, so when you think you are being hard done by just stand back and have a look at what you have got or what you are going to get.
what made me post this message was a posting from sam who's husband has just been made redundant(sorry to hear that)and they are waiting to see if he is going to be granted a visa,as i said above i have just started and am getting in a state so i can imagine how sam feels,i think sell the house as there is no reason not to get the visa.
in the very early nineties i went to romania as part of a 6 man team,we had to install plumbing and heating in an orphanage,the orphanage was an hours drive into the country from the town we stayed in.every morning driving there i would see old ladies who looked in their 80's carrying or dragging bundles of branches,remember there was nothing for miles around and god only knows where they were taking them,my job was to pipe up the boiler which was outside in a lean to(made out of mud to start with),the 1st morning we were there i noticed an old man i had seen walking along the road turn up at the orphanage and i was told his job everyday was to walk to "work" and take the donkey for a walk,this old man had no teeth in his head but i gave him a bar of galaxy chocolate,the same as somebody giving you or i £50,you would not believe the look of gratitude on the old boys face,he then promptly broke the bar in half and gave half to the donkey.he used to turn up every morning just to walk the donkey and would not return until 2 or 3 in the afternoon.
there were a lot of kids at the orphanage,all had big broad smiles,one of them was a lovely little girl who could not walk properly,her mum was a prostitute and chained the little girl up when she was a baby.i cannot blame any of you who do not believe me,i wouldn't if i had not seen it with my own eyes,one night 2 of us had to go back to the orphanage to show one of the romanian volunteers how to strip down the burner for servicing the boiler,their oil was like tar so maintenance was going to have to be done every day,the volunteer was not going to be about during the day so thats why we had to go back at night,the people in charge said they would prefer it if we did not get to involved with the kids as it could unsettle them,i had been dying to give the little girl with the damaged legs a cuddle,she was never sad and always had a smile on her face,anyway that night after we had shown matey how to service the boiler i begged one of the helpers if i could spend some tiome with the kids and the helper said just 5 mins,my mate and i went in and there was probably 5 kids who had not been put to bed yet,we sat at the table with them and i had the little girl with the damaged legs on my lap.the kids were well into god & jesus so i drew a church with a cross for the little girl and her smile went from ear to ear,i cried like a baby going back to where we were staying.
we took loads of sweets and toys with us and one dinner time went outside the orphanage to knock on doors and hand out the goodies,remember these people had nothing,one old girl who i had given a penguin chocolate bar to grabbed my hand and bloody kissed it like i was royalty,just for a poxy penguin.
when we fired up the new heating system and the rads got hot the kids thought it was magical,you could see it in their eyes,when the hot water cylinder was upto temperature and hot water was coming out the tap one of the workers tried making a pot of tea with it,it was unbelievable that they had never ever had anything like this in their lives,it was the 1st western style heating installation in romania.every day for dinner at the orphanage we had potatoes and cabbage cooked in different styles,this was their way of life and they knew no better.
i could go on and on about the things i witnessed out there but i think you get the picture now.this is the 1st time i have relayed this to strangers and i am not on an ego trip,there were other volunteers out there who nobody knows about that deserve recognition,they do it all the time,i was out there for 1 week.
hopefully you will read this and it will put your problems into perspective.there is always someone worse of than you.
Jun 29th 2004, 11:21 am
#2
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,432
Regretably, depression is not aleviated by contemplation of the greater misfortune of others.
Depression
Depression
Jun 29th 2004, 11:26 am
#3
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: Brisbane and loving it!!!!
Posts: 632
Wow!!!
What a brilliant experience!I bet you remember more about that
week than any other week of your life.
I have been feeling fed up recently too I think its because noone
seems to be hearing anything recently!There are of course loads
of people on this site about to go to OZ and that makes us
jealous too and makes it seem so far away for us.
still at least I can eat something other than Cabbage and
potatoes!
Nikki x
What a brilliant experience!I bet you remember more about that
week than any other week of your life.
I have been feeling fed up recently too I think its because noone
seems to be hearing anything recently!There are of course loads
of people on this site about to go to OZ and that makes us
jealous too and makes it seem so far away for us.
still at least I can eat something other than Cabbage and
potatoes!
Nikki x
Jun 29th 2004, 12:17 pm
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
fantastic post
I worked in a residential home for 10 years before coming to oz.
I worked with children from the ages of 5 to 18 whom were all emotionally disturbed and suffered from social, emotional and behavioral problems.
Many of these children had been sexually assaulted by their own parents and left to fend for themselves.
It was a heartbreaking job as many of these young people had no self worth and would often self harm.
A few of these poor souls are no longer with us as they could not cope with the pain and rejection and took their own lives.
Others have turned to drugs and prostitution.
We should all certainly be thankful for what we have for there is real devestation and suffering in the world.
I for one feel privillaged and fortunate for what I have.
Good luck mate
Mags
I worked in a residential home for 10 years before coming to oz.
I worked with children from the ages of 5 to 18 whom were all emotionally disturbed and suffered from social, emotional and behavioral problems.
Many of these children had been sexually assaulted by their own parents and left to fend for themselves.
It was a heartbreaking job as many of these young people had no self worth and would often self harm.
A few of these poor souls are no longer with us as they could not cope with the pain and rejection and took their own lives.
Others have turned to drugs and prostitution.
We should all certainly be thankful for what we have for there is real devestation and suffering in the world.
I for one feel privillaged and fortunate for what I have.
Good luck mate
Mags
Jun 29th 2004, 12:48 pm
#5
I'm lovin' it
Joined: Feb 2003
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,525
Originally posted by Megalania
Regretably, depression is not aleviated by contemplation of the greater misfortune of others.
Depression
Regretably, depression is not aleviated by contemplation of the greater misfortune of others.
Depression
You seem to delight in these little one-liners don't you? Are you a chicken or a pig?.......
The difference between Support and Commitment can be summed up by the "Egg and Bacon theory". For an egg and bacon breakfast, the chicken is supportive, while the pig is committed.
BTW, Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
Jun 29th 2004, 1:30 pm
#6
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 98
chippy analytical thinker
Originally posted by chippy
Another mildly smug post by Meg....even if your comment is true, is it more to do with elevating your status as the great analytical thinker?
You seem to delight in these little one-liners don't you? Are you a chicken or a pig?.......
The difference between Support and Commitment can be summed up by the "Egg and Bacon theory". For an egg and bacon breakfast, the chicken is supportive, while the pig is committed.
BTW, Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
Another mildly smug post by Meg....even if your comment is true, is it more to do with elevating your status as the great analytical thinker?
You seem to delight in these little one-liners don't you? Are you a chicken or a pig?.......
The difference between Support and Commitment can be summed up by the "Egg and Bacon theory". For an egg and bacon breakfast, the chicken is supportive, while the pig is committed.
BTW, Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
i love egg & bacon but it's even better with chicken, have you had a bad experience with trying to help others ,it sounds like it
Jun 29th 2004, 1:41 pm
#7
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,809
hopefully you will read this and it will put your problems into perspective.there is always someone worse of than you.
You know what? I have always known that I am ' privileged and fortunate' to be here. I have always known that a very large number of people are worse off than I am in many many ways. My husband, when I was so sick the other week that I couldn't stand up, said "remember there are people sicker than you". But as I said to him, I know there are people sicker than me, but that doesn't make me feel any less depressed.
After all, what right do I have to be happy? What right do I have to enjoy myself? What right do I have to be able to get up each day and have something pleasant to look forward to? None at all. I have no right whatsoever to expect life to smile on me, or even grin vaguely, and maybe I'm finally accepting that.
I shall now settle for my lot in life and stop trying to improve it. At least I don't feel just depressed anymore, I now feel depressed and guilty.
Jun 29th 2004, 1:59 pm
#8
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Posts: n/a
i dont think that malpjc post was meant to be offensive or upsetting to anyone.
I believe all he was trying to say is that we are lucky and yes we all have a moan about things from time to time but at the end of the day we need to put things into perspective.
Easier said than done at times i know. Its only human to have negative ( probably wrong word to use ) thoughts.
If we have love, health and happiness then we are very very fortunate as we may very well have alot more than others.
Mags
I believe all he was trying to say is that we are lucky and yes we all have a moan about things from time to time but at the end of the day we need to put things into perspective.
Easier said than done at times i know. Its only human to have negative ( probably wrong word to use ) thoughts.
If we have love, health and happiness then we are very very fortunate as we may very well have alot more than others.
Mags
Jun 29th 2004, 2:14 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 98
Originally posted by maggy
i dont think that malpjc post was meant to be offensive or upsetting to anyone.
I believe all he was trying to say is that we are lucky and yes we all have a moan about things from time to time but at the end of the day we need to put things into perspective.
Easier said than done at times i know. Its only human to have negative ( probably wrong word to use ) thoughts.
If we have love, health and happiness then we are very very fortunate as we may very well have alot more than others.
Mags
i dont think that malpjc post was meant to be offensive or upsetting to anyone.
I believe all he was trying to say is that we are lucky and yes we all have a moan about things from time to time but at the end of the day we need to put things into perspective.
Easier said than done at times i know. Its only human to have negative ( probably wrong word to use ) thoughts.
If we have love, health and happiness then we are very very fortunate as we may very well have alot more than others.
Mags
Jun 29th 2004, 2:14 pm
#10
o_0
Joined: Apr 2004
Location: Northern Rivers
Posts: 1,642
"Every year is getting shorter never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say "
Pink Floyd - Time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time is gone, the song is over,
Thought I'd something more to say "
Pink Floyd - Time
Jun 29th 2004, 2:18 pm
#11
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: for everyone who is feeling depressed
In many ways thise kids seem to be luckier than some of us. He said they
were always smiling could I say that of myself, No, he said that the old
man gave half his galaxy to his donkey, would I do that, NO, the little
girl smiled form ear to ear over a picyue of a church, would I do that,
absolutely not.
Different perspective, different views. Maybe they are
happier, who really knows!!
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com
were always smiling could I say that of myself, No, he said that the old
man gave half his galaxy to his donkey, would I do that, NO, the little
girl smiled form ear to ear over a picyue of a church, would I do that,
absolutely not.
Different perspective, different views. Maybe they are
happier, who really knows!!
--
Posted via http://britishexpats.com
Jun 29th 2004, 2:27 pm
#12
Guest
Posts: n/a
The problem may be that we all too often take things for granted.
Things like having a meal on the table, having a roof over our head, having someone to lean on, having our health, having friendship. Having love.
We always want more. That holiday in the sunshine. The nice new car. The job with great wages. The big house.
I try not to take things for granted but I am only human and yes I often forget as I too want so much more.
This post really does make me think of how very lucky I am.
Mags
Things like having a meal on the table, having a roof over our head, having someone to lean on, having our health, having friendship. Having love.
We always want more. That holiday in the sunshine. The nice new car. The job with great wages. The big house.
I try not to take things for granted but I am only human and yes I often forget as I too want so much more.
This post really does make me think of how very lucky I am.
Mags
Jun 29th 2004, 2:29 pm
#13
Guest
Posts: n/a
The problem may be that we all too often take things for granted.
Things like having a meal on the table, having a roof over our head, having someone to lean on, having our health, having friendship. Having love.
We always want more. That holiday in the sunshine. The nice new car. The job with great wages. The big house.
I try not to take things for granted but I am only human and yes I often forget as I too want so much more.
I need to remind myself sometimes that I do have so much more. Very much more.
This post really does make me think of how very lucky I am.
Mags
Things like having a meal on the table, having a roof over our head, having someone to lean on, having our health, having friendship. Having love.
We always want more. That holiday in the sunshine. The nice new car. The job with great wages. The big house.
I try not to take things for granted but I am only human and yes I often forget as I too want so much more.
I need to remind myself sometimes that I do have so much more. Very much more.
This post really does make me think of how very lucky I am.
Mags
Jun 29th 2004, 8:01 pm
#14
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: U.A.E.
Posts: 87
Re: for everyone who is feeling depressed
malpjc,
Thank you for the work you did in Romania and for your kindness toward those kids.
It is very true what you are saying there, I know, 'cause I'm a Romanian.
As they say, "count your blessings". This should sum it all up.
In their smiles from ear to ear, or in giving half a chocolate bar to a donkey, I don't see a hidden happiness, but a lot of sadness.
Those kids and the old man simply know (they haven't forgotten) how to rejoice in front of the simple and tiny things in life. Oh yes, from this point of view, that's a kind of happiness that not many have. But also, this kind of happiness makes one sad, as so many people don't behave like that.
Indeed, "we all too often take things for granted".
What if we walked a mile in their shoes...
Gabriel
Thank you for the work you did in Romania and for your kindness toward those kids.
It is very true what you are saying there, I know, 'cause I'm a Romanian.
As they say, "count your blessings". This should sum it all up.
In their smiles from ear to ear, or in giving half a chocolate bar to a donkey, I don't see a hidden happiness, but a lot of sadness.
Those kids and the old man simply know (they haven't forgotten) how to rejoice in front of the simple and tiny things in life. Oh yes, from this point of view, that's a kind of happiness that not many have. But also, this kind of happiness makes one sad, as so many people don't behave like that.
Indeed, "we all too often take things for granted".
What if we walked a mile in their shoes...
Gabriel
Jun 29th 2004, 9:11 pm
#15
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 98
Re: for everyone who is feeling depressed
Originally posted by Gabriel
malpjc,
Thank you for the work you did in Romania and for your kindness toward those kids.
It is very true what you are saying there, I know, 'cause I'm a Romanian.
As they say, "count your blessings". This should sum it all up.
In their smiles from ear to ear, or in giving half a chocolate bar to a donkey, I don't see a hidden happiness, but a lot of sadness.
Those kids and the old man simply know (they haven't forgotten) how to rejoice in front of the simple and tiny things in life. Oh yes, from this point of view, that's a kind of happiness that not many have. But also, this kind of happiness makes one sad, as so many people don't behave like that.
Indeed, "we all too often take things for granted".
What if we walked a mile in their shoes...
Gabriel
malpjc,
Thank you for the work you did in Romania and for your kindness toward those kids.
It is very true what you are saying there, I know, 'cause I'm a Romanian.
As they say, "count your blessings". This should sum it all up.
In their smiles from ear to ear, or in giving half a chocolate bar to a donkey, I don't see a hidden happiness, but a lot of sadness.
Those kids and the old man simply know (they haven't forgotten) how to rejoice in front of the simple and tiny things in life. Oh yes, from this point of view, that's a kind of happiness that not many have. But also, this kind of happiness makes one sad, as so many people don't behave like that.
Indeed, "we all too often take things for granted".
What if we walked a mile in their shoes...
Gabriel