I understand! I found it excruciating and painful to leave my position as a senior police Chaplain, my identity was and, to a great extent, still wrapped up in that world.

On the other hand it is important to re-structure for the next phase of my life. That, being said, must be done properly to integrate our lives in the right way. Just my thoughts on the matter.

This site has become my sanctuary, not sure if it's healthy or not. I think if you lose something you have had all of your life, comforting words and ideas are blessings. I have learned more here than any book about finding healthy,happy places that In ever thought of before. The kindness of words amazes me. My dad was AP, wish I could tell him.

I am glad you have found us and that you find some comfort and support from all of our members. It has been my experience that the collective knowledge and wisdom about any topic is very valuable, but so many of our inputs share far more than knowledge. You can get that from a book, but the members here offer so much more to go along with their knowledge; reminds me of Mary Poppins. "A spoonful of sugar makes what we learn from each other so much more valuable." I think you should not be concerned about it being healthy or not; I don't see much on here that is unhealthy unless you should/could be using the time more wisely, but I think this takes the place of some facetime we would have with friends if we could move around as much as we once did; at least that is true for me.

I agree that collective knowledge and wisdom is very important. As a young boy in a rural country town, we had several people we could call when we needed help. From cattle to plumbing, we had a network we could count on.

Good points and I miss stopping by Jim’s or other local ranchers and farmers or catching them at the local coffee shop to talk.

@keeptrying. So glad you joined us and that the many voices & view points we share together can continue to provide solace & great information in all our lives! This is a very healthy thing! Thank you for your transparancy as we all travel the journey of life together. I believe your Dad knows!

@jshdma

I'm not what I'd call a world class musician, but it was my vocation, and I've always been almost paranoid about my hands. I'm still playing the piano, but retiring on Social Security disability because of depression and other mental health issues was almost as bad as losing a finger. I lost my vocation of music ministry in churches. It was traumatic, added to a lot of trauma over my lifetime. Acceptance is hard.

Jim

I'm so sorry for what you're going through. You're very brave to share your feelings. Neuropathy is slowly stealing my feet and left hand. I used to hike and feel the same kind of grief you seem to be experiencing. It sounds "corny" but I have discovered virtual hiking in the internet and it lifts my spirits a bit. I hope you can find something similar to help you. You are not alone.

Very informative. He said so much that hit home and he didn't use a lot of medical terminology that would have made his principle message difficult to understand.