Hey, guys. I have been very depressed lately. There's so much stress in my life that my usual and very good coping skills weren't cutting it. When I saw that Oprah show last week, I was reminded of how much I miss so many things. I miss dancing, something I did all the time (jazz, line, tap or just going to clubs). I miss doing things with people. I miss live music. I miss having over-the-top, joyous fun!!! And I miss WORKING!!!!

But that song/dance made me feel so damn good just watching it. Maybe that's enough now; to do the smaller versions of what I love. We all deserve to have stress-free moments within all we going through.

Pat, I don't know about the games you mentioned but I'll definitely look into them. I'm with Connie, I like the ones where I use one finger to shoot things. The other ones are too hard. My hand actually wouldn't work after a stressful day when I played Bubble Shooter.

Sue, I don't know Word Garden. Do you have a link? I absolutely love a snuggle with my pet, a shih tzu, too. Pets are wonderful.

Redtail, You will have to forgive me, your name escapes me at the moment. I hate when I can't remember everyone's name. Bushwalking, eh? Sounds exhausting. When my nieces were young (all grown up now), I loved to spend time with them too.

Connie, What kind of drawing do you do? I am a designer and love to draw but can't really do much anymore.

Miss Gomes, I'm a Leverage fan. And Closer. I don't know why I never got into Law & Order.

Rezmommy, Again, sorry about the name thing. I swear, I'm feeling so old lately. Yes, chocolate is about the best thing. Dark chocolate for me.

Kendra, It was you who inspired me to do this. You're having such a tough time right now. I love to read too but can't hold the books anymore!

Erin, I love old movies too! What are some of your favorites?

I forgot about food. A good italian dish will make me very happy! With gluten free pasta though.

I like all these ideas. Keep 'em coming!

Annie, Both the games I mentioned only take one finger. Zuma Deluxe is a fun fast paced game where you shoot different colored balls into a chain of balls. Hard to explain, but check it out. It starts out slow and the better you get the faster it gets. In Bejeweled 2 Deluxe you only need one finger also, and you have the option of playing a timed game or a regular game. Warning, they both can be very addiciting! This is fun, thanks so much for starting it!

Big Hugs,
Pat

I love all these things too. I'm with Annie, are there any links? Lol...

Annie: Your first link kept me busy for a while. Haha... Hate it when the all jam up. Addictiveeee. When I'm depressed, I watch comedies. Lol. The sillier they are, the nicer it is. Or sweet shows. Shows that warm me up. Or... I ramble it out! Then I feel better. A great big hug for u Annie! We don't get to see Oprah here, so sighhhh I cant watch that. I draw basically anything. I love drawing scenery and people, cartoons too. You?

Sue: Yes. I love my dog to bits too. Love it when he lays his head on my thigh. Haha...

Oooh. And I love cooking and baking. Its just so much fun. Except that I can only giv instructions now. Lol. All the stirring and folding in eats me up.

Here's the link for Wild World Garden....really fun. Will be checking out some to the other point and shoot games. I love those too!!

http://games.yahoo.com/free-games/wild-word-garden

Sue

Hey All,

There's a website called Big Fish Games where you can buy games. I don't advise it, but if you do you have to cancel right after you get your 3 games, or your charge card will be billed every month for 3 more. However, I'm not sure if you have to buy anything or not to try games. They let you download a portion of a game to see if you like it or not. Might be worth checking into. We buy are games second hand for about $5.00. Except the one I'm currently playing, Murder On The Orient Express, my son gave me for my B'day. Good luck and happy gaming!

Hugs,
Pat

I love posts like these!!! Thanks Annie
I love old movies, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Doris Day, Rock Hudson, and yes, westerns, John Wayne..ect. When my arms allow, I love to knit, and paint. And I too am an avid reader, and I'm sure this is probably the only group of people in my world that understands how frustrating it is to get to the end, and can't finish it for several days, to even a couple weeks due to eye issues. Drives me crazy, cause I do like Martha Grimes Mysteries.
I also love to read my Bible, and listen to gospel music, and of course prayer always helps.
Like Erin, I too seem to appreciate the tiniest things in life since being ill. Flowers, plants, birds..etc.
I also like computer gamesand I can be a news junky. And then there are days, when everything is turned off, and I just watch the sail boats float by. Especially during the sailboat races. Those are fun to watch.
Love Lizzie

After reading all your posts about things that make you happy or feel better when you're down, it makes me realize how much I miss everyone when I am not on for a while. Right now I am enjoying NCIS reruns. I haven't tried the computer games but I will give that a try. I also love chocolate. One of my favorite things is Hot Fudge Cake from Shoney's. I'd love to have one right now. That would make me very happy! I think my daughter and I will go get one right now! Hope everyone has a great evening!

ckitty

Lizzie, Since you're a Doris fan, like I am, then you've probably seen The Glass Bottom Boat. You have to be in the right, childish frame of mind but it is so silly and funny. I'm glad someone else gets off on birds like I do. I almost feel silly talking about it. We have bird feeders in our backyard, including a hummingbird feeder. And if you want to attract baltimore orioles, put out a tupperware cover on a deck railing, or anywhere else, and put a teaspoon of grape jelly in it! They usually come in the spring and late summer/fall.

If anyone likes English humor (as in England, as in Rach's country), you'd love the movie Cold Comfort Farm. It's hysterical!

Thanks for the link, Sue.

Pat, I don't think I'd buy any games. If they're not free, forget it.

Ckitty, It seems a lot of us like the "figure it out" shows, like NCIS, L&W, Leverage, etc. And CHOCOLATE!!!!

I wish I could volunteer somewhere but I don't have the energy for it. That always made me feel good. I have a Mac and they have these audio built-ins in iMovie. There's one of a sitcom laugh track. I break out laughing every time I hear it.

Thanks guys. I think people who have an illness have to try harder than those who don't to be happy. Or maybe, just maybe, we are happier because we have an illness and appreciate life more.

Annie

Great post Annie !
Mine are ........ This site,just recently am involved in Mafia Wars game on facebook (lol), I am with Erin, just being thankful for the gift of doing everyday things !

Annie, what a great idea...reading everyones thoughts made me feel good and I smiled. Having something to enjoy is so important…here are some of my thoughts.

Things I miss: Live music of any kind, I love love love music. Staying up really late reading or writing, my eyes won't do it anymore even if I have the energy to stay awake (those late hours are wonderful for creativity and the unconscious mind). Going on all day hikes in the hottest weather, it is only me and nature and nothing is better than nature for me. I miss loud music that makes me want to dance and sing (now it makes me feel sad that I can't do these things so I listen to calmer music). Volunteering (maybe I will do this again).

Things I like to do now with MG: Looking at flowers, taking photos of flowers, drawing abstract versions of flowers (I have a link to a preview of my “published book" and some of my photos…I will put the links at the end of my message if anyone is interested in looking), talking about plants and teaching people about plants…, writing, working, playing computer games with my kids (we play runescape at runescape.com), Boston Legal and NCIS on TV), I love to read and learn. I love watching the sunrise and the sunset too, those special times when all the world is golden. I enjoy all the little things in life, a hug or a smile from my kids or husband, a pretty flower/bird/insect/etc (all living things seem to have something to say so I listen to them), dreams…so much more but out of energy to continue typing.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and ideas, please keep going. The sharing is great. I am new here and this place is great!


Some of my favorite things are here:
http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/637539
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flower_of_the_desert/