I'm turning 24 soon, so.. Rate out of 5 Stars, 5 year increments * = Poor ** ***= Fair **** ***** = Great 5-10: ** 10-15: * 15-20: ** 20-25: ** (so far) I hope to do better.
I'd say that my years between 17-21 were filled with ups and downs. I'd give my freshmen year in college a **** and my 21st year a * due to all the pressure and hardships. 5-16 was a long, bad period.
So, why do you want to know when we feel like we're living our Halcyon days? It's kinda risky. If there's an EMO in the boards you'll be subjected to long bad poetry about how everyone hates him/her/it and life isn't just worthy... It's a great risk... a great risk... Cheers...
After having worked in hospital during my junior years treating cancer patients who were facing their end very soon I realized my life is pretty good every day I wake up with no pains anywhere in my body and knowing I have a good chance of staying alive the whole day or perhaps the whole week....health is a valuable thing! So enjoy your life every day 100%, real life can turn into a horrible bitch suddenly... So I have ***** every day even if it´s hangover day.
Perspective is relative. I think we all live like kings compared to the typical peasant from the ninth century. I doubt it, most of posters here aren't like that.
I have (mostly) stood by my no close friends/family/hanging out, no dating, no drinking, no TV/games, no holiday/no recreational traveling, no idle weekends rules for the past four years.
Well that explains why the best years were previous to the last 4. Good lord man why on earth would you do that. Life is too short to sacrifice the trivial things that make us happy. I spent 5 years not drinking, chewing, swearing, and working every Sunday. Then I realized that it just wasn't worth it. Bud, if you spend your life looking over your shoulder thinking about how good yesterday was you are going to miss out on all the fun that tommorrow brings. There is a saying that a DI had, when I was in Boot Camp: "The only easy day was yesterday" and I have carried that with me for the last 23 years. Tommorrow should always be the best day of your life.
I really only consider that I have had one bad year, 1982. A lot of difficulties entered my life that year.
5-10: ***** 10-15: *** 15-20: *** 20-25: * Past few years have been real rough, really hoping the next 5 are better.
I don't remember a whole lot from when I was 5-10, other than I was just a happy kid. 10-15 I was kind of a jerk, as are a lot of boys that age. I can say I enjoyed them a lot more than my parents. 15-20 was a little more of the same. I did find my path though, in those formative years. 20-25 was pretty good. Lived in a great city and had a lot of scratch. It was the couple years after that period that my life crumbled around me. The last few years has been pretty damned awesome though. Every day is a gift, and no matter how crappy we think our lives are....just look around you'll see someone who is much, much worse off than you are. Even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.
Mine varied over time and the 5 year increments don't work well. 1-6 great 7-12 hell 13 - 20 Great 20 Terrible 21-29 Okay with moments of joy and incredible sadness 30 - 35 Stupid Choices/Great Friends/Great Learning 35 - 50 The best years of my life that have only got better every day. I found this poem years ago when it was listed as author unknown - and I have to add it here even if there is some question regarding the copying of it onto the Forum. I found it tonight here: Changing Attitudes: Expansion of Human Behavior - Excerpt from spiritual book - You Have Chosen to Remember: A Journey from Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy It had a profound impact on how I viewed life. Everyday is a new chance to embrace life fully. "Today, when I awoke, I suddenly realized that this is the best day of my life, ever! There were times when I wondered if I would make it to today; but I did! And because I did, I'm going to celebrate! Today I'm going to celebrate what an unbelievable life I have had so far; the accomplishments, the many blessings, and yes, even the hardships, because they have served to make me stronger. I will live this day with my head held high and a happy heart. I will take time to marvel at God's seemingly simple gifts, the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, and the birds. Today, none of these miraculous creations will escape my notice. Today I will share my excitement for life with other people. I'll make someone smile. I'll go out of my way to perform an act of kindness for someone I don't even know. Today I'll give a word of encouragement to someone who seems down. I'll pay someone a sincere compliment. I'll tell a child how special they are. And I'll tell someone I love, just how deeply I care for them and how much they mean to me. Today is the day I quit worrying about what I don't have, and start being grateful for all the wonderful things God has already given me. I'll remember that to worry is just a waste of time, because my faith in God and His divine plan ensures everything will be just fine. And tonight, before I go to bed, I'll take a stroll outside and raise my eyes to the heavens. I will stand in awe at the beauty of the stars and the moon and the majesty of the universe and I will praise God for these magnificent treasures. As the day ends and I lay my head down, I will thank the Almighty for the best day of my life. And I will sleep the sleep of a contented child, and yet excited with expectation, because I know tomorrow is going to be the best day of my life, ever!" by Gregory M. Lousignont, Ph.D., The Best Day of My Life, Copyright © 1993 Gregory M. Lousignont, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission of author. You'll make it Wolfy. You have us.
Well said, Jughead. I can't even begin to rate the years of my life. I had good times as a kid, but I'm sure most of us did. I married right out of college, got a job, had kids and just lived my life. Good and bad times came and went, but I don't dwell on either. I always figure today was a good day, and tomorrow should be as good or better. We can't change the past and are not guaranteed a future, so live a little every day.
There is a practical reason why I do this: 1. Free up time and mental energy for learning- I'm twice as productive with all distractions removed. One year that passes, I mentally age for two. IE. just these past 6-7 months, I've read 6 technical oriented textbooks and 7 books in my free time. 2. I have a tenacious, devoted, and obsessive personality, so when people are in my life (particularily a girlfriend and close best friends) I focus so much on them and so little on personal development. 3. I decided that I needed time to be alone at 20. I realized that many mistakes had been made and I had to be harsh and ruthless to myself. I did so many bad things to people and was becoming more and more like a sociopath. I was on the path of white collar crime. I needed time alone to sort myself out. I didn't like what I had become. For inspiration, I looked towards role models and I looked towards individuals of history. My first year of interpersonal isolation was difficult as I am a very social person by nature, but like the Priest in Monte Cristo said "It will come to pass". And it did, at least the worst of it. I felt that, regardless of the isolation, that I had made serious progress as an individual and the lonely nights I spent, reading endlessly, had elevated my thinking. That being said, my 23rd year was a *** because I had more fully adopted stoicism, made progress, and had become more numb in general. I have to say that my stay at WW2F and my three month "Big brother" friendship (she came to me so I never really violated my vow) with a theater student & actress contributed greatly to this. It is not likely to get much better at all for the next few years, but that's not all bad if I can keep life at neutral and unfeeling (***). I hope to get a succession of **** and ***** by my 30s. 13 * 14 * 15 * 16 * 17 *** 18 **** 19 *** 20 * 21 * 22 ** 23 ***
It all started on me fifth birthday...one I shared with Henry 5th Im told, and a Shakespeare sonnet that reminds me of the time will follow shortly...Mother was overprotective...Father was a hard rough ex serviceman, but knew about life...brother used to hit me. Then I got to 10....more thru luck than judgement....swinging on the ferry tie ups on the Mersey was not always a good idea... I reached 16...they gave me a rifle....I wrote a poem.....Illl put it up later...I found love at 18...She left me for someone with a car....I only had a sense of humour....I wrote a poem...Ill read it out later....Gin figured highly at this stage so too did armed guards picking me up off roadway near guardroom....ending it all because of gin was figuring highly....I wrote a poem...Ill tape it and put it on line....The Irish tried to kll me many times...both professionally and the buggers tried accidently off duty many times too...they even took me kit and used it agains others....I wrote a statement not a poem for that one....the polce wanted that one published...oh we did laugh....And me Irish English Irish too...I'll write a short limerick about that later....No on second thoughs....Miguel is right.... Best years of me life??? Well if were serious....meeting so many inpirational wounded and inured in service hospitals thru early 80's..a very busy time....And very educating....But I never wrote any poetry...Ill start now then... There once was a lad from the pool They thought him a bit of a fool.. He said bugger that.. Im off for a hat.. And then he became quite a prat Boom boom....
