Old friends (5)

When you think of old friends you haven't seen for a long time, who comes to mind first?

Tell us a story: lost treasures

Have you ever lost something, driven yourself to distraction looking for it, only to find something else that completely captured your attention instead?

Another reason it's good to have friends

Sometime it takes a friend to bring out aspects of yourself that would otherwise remain forgotten.  Who are the people who have a knack for awakening the better and more interesting side of your personality?  Who is someone no longer in your life, someone you're sorry is gone because you miss who you were with that person around?

This week's theme is your forgotten side.

Tell us a story: fired

Tell us about a time you were fired from a job, cut from a sports team, kicked out of a group, or removed from a position of responsibility. Did it come as a surprise, or did you know it was coming?  What was your immediate reaction? How did you respond?  How did things work out for you in the long run? 

The roaring silence

Sometimes space is empty because someone or something has departed (for example, a restaurant closed) or because plans failed (a construction project lost its financing). You look at the empty space and see what should be there instead of what's actually there. Is there a space like this in your life, one that constantly reminds you of what's not there?

This week's theme is empty space.

Mortality

Are you okay about confronting your own mortality? Or do thoughts of it — whether it's issues of your health, making plans for your old age, or caring for a terminally ill friend or loved one — make you want to put your fingers in your ears and say "la la la la la!!!"?

This week's theme is mortality.

Missed opportunities

What was an opportunity that slipped away more quickly than you expected? What was one thing that you wanted, and could have had, if only you had acted quickly enough?

This week's theme is missed opportunities.

Maybe a gallon of Ben & Jerry's

How do you deal with loss? Do you get angry? Do you cry? Do you blame yourself? Do you go out and do or buy something extravagant to fill the hole?

This week's theme is loss.

I still can't believe it happened

What's the loss about which you're still most melancholy and/or nostalgic?

This week's theme is loss.

Oops, there it goes...

What's the largest sum of money or most expensive item you ever lost at one time? This could be a gambling loss, or a purchase of something that didn't turn out to be quite as advertised, or a loss from theft or carelessness.

This week's theme is loss.

A time of mourning

Have you ever lost someone you loved? How did that experience shape your feelings about death?

This week's theme is loss.

Loss

When someone you know dies, it might feel as though a part of yourself is missing. It can be difficult for anyone to deal with the finality and absurdity of death and loss, and even more so for children, when their understanding of the world is still taking shape.

Did someone close to you die during your childhood? How did that experience shape your feelings about death?

This week's theme is loss.

After all these years

There's nothing wrong with enjoying your rich personal history, but most of us also have some unhealthy ties to the past — things that we won't let go of and that limit us in our lives today. It's good to become aware of these things and do whatever it takes to release them. When you aren't dragging your past with you, you have much more freedom to choose your direction.

What disappointments from long ago do you still carry with you? What old grudges do you carry?

This week's theme is incompleteness.