Dave2112
Level of Cherry Feather
- Joined
- Apr 17, 2001
- Messages
- 10,292
- Points
- 0
Greetings fellow TMF members. As many of you have noticed, my presence on the Forum has been very brief of late, and I've gotten a few PM's and E-mails asking what's been up. At this point I thought it prudent to let everyone know what's been going on, so that I can tell this story once...and also so that some of the friends I have here do not feel as if I've ignored them. You guys are like a second family in a way.
A few weeks back, on November 3rd, I had a mild heart attack. (Now there's an oxymoron for you if you've ever been there, eh?) I was taken from work to the hospital and released after 16 hours or so of ER folks telling me that they didn't know anything. Typical. I have been follwing up with a series of tests and trips to the local cardiology center. My echocardiogram has shown no damage or blockage, although my heart isn't pumping quite as strong as they'd like for someone my age. Also, my blood pressure seems to drop from time to time for no apparent reason. I am getting some pulmonary tests done to see if my breathing has anything to do with it, as I had a collapsed lung a few years back that could still be creating tiny bloodclots, and my oxygen levels are a little bit lower than they should be.
Of course, I do smoke, so that probably has something to do with it, and serious stress has unfortunatly been a big part of my life for the last few months. As of right now, I'm ok, so no major worries there. It's gonna take a little more than a stupid four-chambered muscle to take the Jedi Master out of the game, eh? Seriously, I've taken steps to re-order my life back into the realm of peace and tranquility that I favor, I'm trying like hell to quit smoking (although even my cardiologist agrees that cold-turkey has a small chance of being too much of a shock to my system at this point.) I'm trying to do small things like leave my smokes in another room when I'm on the computer, so I actually have to get off my lazy ass and get them rather than mindlessly chain-smoke. Shit like that.
There is something important that made me bring this up, though. Yes, I wanted to let my friends know what was up after I knew I was going to be ok...but there's more to it. In the weeks prior to this event, I had been letting things on the Forum (and other parts of my life) get to me. I failed to take my own advice and started to take things way too seriously. I think this is a lesson that we all, as a community, can learn from. All things considered, this community is about 99% shiny and happy. By our very nature, tickling enthusiasts are well-spirited and life-loving individuals. Don't let a very, very small percent ruin the experience for you. Be above it. Don't get drawn into debates that are going nowhere, and don't think that there's this overpowering need to "win". We're all here for each other and share a strong bond. If someone doesn't agree with you, screw it. If they want to press the issue, screw it even more. We're here to have fun above all, and that's the thing that I lost sight of.
That being said, I'm pretty much back to being around, and am looking forward to creating again, writing again and simply being a part of this wonderful family of friends.
Peace, Love, Patience...and May the Force be With You. 😎
A few weeks back, on November 3rd, I had a mild heart attack. (Now there's an oxymoron for you if you've ever been there, eh?) I was taken from work to the hospital and released after 16 hours or so of ER folks telling me that they didn't know anything. Typical. I have been follwing up with a series of tests and trips to the local cardiology center. My echocardiogram has shown no damage or blockage, although my heart isn't pumping quite as strong as they'd like for someone my age. Also, my blood pressure seems to drop from time to time for no apparent reason. I am getting some pulmonary tests done to see if my breathing has anything to do with it, as I had a collapsed lung a few years back that could still be creating tiny bloodclots, and my oxygen levels are a little bit lower than they should be.
Of course, I do smoke, so that probably has something to do with it, and serious stress has unfortunatly been a big part of my life for the last few months. As of right now, I'm ok, so no major worries there. It's gonna take a little more than a stupid four-chambered muscle to take the Jedi Master out of the game, eh? Seriously, I've taken steps to re-order my life back into the realm of peace and tranquility that I favor, I'm trying like hell to quit smoking (although even my cardiologist agrees that cold-turkey has a small chance of being too much of a shock to my system at this point.) I'm trying to do small things like leave my smokes in another room when I'm on the computer, so I actually have to get off my lazy ass and get them rather than mindlessly chain-smoke. Shit like that.
There is something important that made me bring this up, though. Yes, I wanted to let my friends know what was up after I knew I was going to be ok...but there's more to it. In the weeks prior to this event, I had been letting things on the Forum (and other parts of my life) get to me. I failed to take my own advice and started to take things way too seriously. I think this is a lesson that we all, as a community, can learn from. All things considered, this community is about 99% shiny and happy. By our very nature, tickling enthusiasts are well-spirited and life-loving individuals. Don't let a very, very small percent ruin the experience for you. Be above it. Don't get drawn into debates that are going nowhere, and don't think that there's this overpowering need to "win". We're all here for each other and share a strong bond. If someone doesn't agree with you, screw it. If they want to press the issue, screw it even more. We're here to have fun above all, and that's the thing that I lost sight of.
That being said, I'm pretty much back to being around, and am looking forward to creating again, writing again and simply being a part of this wonderful family of friends.
Peace, Love, Patience...and May the Force be With You. 😎
