Our stories
@CheerBear, thanks for your words. Happy you like my new profile pic. So good to see you too. 🙂 
@Zoe7, ox 🙂
@Exoplanet, love to you and your special holiday place. A few hours travel is not too bad, about from here to another surf coast up the road. There are crystal-like mountains there, in the hinterland. But don't want to go travelling for a while now. 
Good to hear the rain has made it to you. Here's to it stopping now! 20 years of mostly drought is a long time in a flood plain. It's great that you have experience of both situations. Hoping the best for you.
I think I have an idea about your health issues from the last time I was here, back in the first half of last year. In fact, I was thinking about your attitude to life and death earlier tonight, when standing out in my courtyard looking up at the veiled stars behind the opaque clouds.
Because of my troubling undiagnosed symptoms and depression at the moment, I have been thinking about death a fair bit, afraid of it and a bit panicked about my health. In fact, it's possible some of my symptoms are coming from that panic! But I don't think that's it completely. Getting older, with the natural declines in health, has hit me since I got back from Europe and I've been struggling with it.
But a few days ago I had a conversation with my close friend here about spirituality. I don't know if you have this, but there are times when I am feeling out of control and highly distressed, and I find myself instinctively calling out to someone, who I might identify with as my higher self. It's a part of me that seems almost unconscious and non-verbal, that is wiser than my mortal brain.
Somehow in the past few days, since focussing on it and perhaps surrendering control to it more, I feel something lifted. I did some video tonight, in a good and patient mood with it, a contrast to just a few days ago. Spanish lessons on the mobile app are going great. Better for me than playing spider solitaire. Gratitude app seems a life affirming thing to do. It's less than minute to do it, feels more than worth that in result.
Despite feeling almost like a need a walking stick in case I faint at any moment (especially getting up out of chairs), life/my higher self seems to be nonetheless picking me up over the past couple of days.
We never know what's going to happen in the future, three years, or more or less, is the fate of all of us. Meanwhile, we can do our best to enjoy, love and be with each other. 🙂
@Shaz51, ox
@Adge, thanks again for the meme smiles and giggles. 🙂
Waves and hugs to @Angels333, @greenpea, @outlander, @Appleblossom, @Former-Member, @Maggie, and everyone I've mentioned, and to anyone else reading. 
Hasta luego (see you later),
Maz
