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anita

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  • anita
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    Dear J: I will read and reply tomorrow.

    💛Anita

    in reply to: Tortured by regret of breaking up with him #446996
    anita
    Participant

    Dear Davina:

    You’re very welcome.

    Reading your response, I was struck by how much clarity and emotional honesty you’re already holding—even in the middle of uncertainty. You’re not running from the truth—you’re circling it, slowly and bravely. That matters.

    I think it’s wonderful that you and your partner are considering couples therapy. That step alone speaks volumes about the care and seriousness with which you’re both approaching your future.

    In the meantime, something you might find helpful is this: try journaling (privately or even here)—not the polished, reflective kind, but something freer, looser. Let your thoughts spill. Set a timer and describe—without judgment—the kind of relationship that would truly thrill you. Not necessarily with a real person. Just let your imagination go.

    What does that kind of love feel like in your body? What kinds of conversations, tensions, moments of passion or uncertainty show up? Is there chaos? Silence? Hunger? Laughter?

    Let it pour out unfiltered—no editing, no evaluating. Just write as if no one will ever read it but your own curiosity.

    You don’t need to figure it all out at once. This isn’t about rushing to a decision—it’s about becoming someone who sees herself clearly, so that the decision, when it comes, feels like home instead of a coin toss.

    If you do feel like sharing anything that comes up in the process—whether poetic, messy, angry, tender, confused, or all of the above—I’ll meet it with care.

    With warmth, Anita 🕊️

    in reply to: Feeling guilty about flirting #446993
    anita
    Participant

    Dear Jay:

    Thank you for sharing this. It’s clear you’ve spent time reflecting not just on your actions, but on your values—and that speaks to your integrity. The fact that you’re asking, “Is that selfish?” already shows how much you care, not just about the relationship, but about your girlfriend’s emotional wellbeing.

    And here’s the heart of it: sparing her unnecessary stress isn’t selfish. It’s loving.

    You said yourself: “I didn’t want to and I felt bad about the situation especially because I’m deeply in love with my girlfriend.”- You recognized in the moment that your actions didn’t align with the kind of relationship you want to build—and then, you stopped. You set a boundary and honored it. That matters. That speaks more to your growth than the original misstep.

    Here’s something gentle to consider: you mentioned that your guilt surfaced suddenly, weeks later. That kind of delayed self-blame can sometimes trace back to earlier experiences. As a child, were you allowed to make mistakes without being shamed? Or were you made to feel that getting it wrong meant you were wrong?

    If so, maybe the deeper question isn’t: “Should I tell her to relieve my conscience?” Maybe it’s: “Can I hold myself accountable, grow from this, and protect what we’re building—without needing her to carry pain that no longer belongs in our story?”

    You’re already doing the harder thing—sitting with discomfort, being honest with yourself, and choosing to love better. That’s how trust is built: not through perfection, but by aligning your actions with your values over time.

    You sound like someone who deeply values connection, honesty, and doing the right thing—even when it’s uncomfortable. That’s a powerful foundation for love to grow on.

    With respect, Anita

    in reply to: Tortured by regret of breaking up with him #446992
    anita
    Participant

    Dear Davina:

    Thank you for sharing something so personal. You wrote with such honesty, and it’s clear you’ve spent time trying to understand not just your relationship—but yourself.

    There’s something incredibly brave about asking, “Why do I feel this way when nothing is wrong?” Because what you have sounds beautiful: a partner who’s loving, generous, emotionally available, and willing to grow with you. It makes sense that the doubt feels confusing—even guilt-inducing. But doubt doesn’t always mean something’s broken. Sometimes it’s a sign that you’re listening—not to a problem, but to a question that’s still taking shape inside you.

    This duality—wanting the emotional thrill vs. needing deep, steady love—is something both your therapists have touched on. The dilemma, as I see it: the fear of choosing safety and later mourning the absence of passion, or worse—choosing passion and realizing too late that you’ve let go of a truly good man.

    You’re not ungrateful or cold-hearted. You may simply still be in the process of rewiring what love feels like. After surviving toxic relationships where love came with drama or instability, it’s natural that something calm—even healthy—might feel unfamiliar. Less “exciting,” maybe. Less known. And that unfamiliarity can feel like something’s missing, even when your partner is doing everything “right.”

    What I hear beneath it all is your integrity. The fact that you’re reflecting before acting—the way you’re trying to spare him pain, even as you hold your own confusion—tells me how deeply you care. About him, and about the kind of life you want to live with honesty.

    This is what I posted to Elle (the original poster of this thread) back on January 27, 2016: “My advice is for you to explore and get an understanding of what happened and what is going on with you first. It will not be fair for him that you follow your current feelings for him when you don’t understand what is going on.”

    And so—nine and a half years later—I offer the same advice to you: take time to gently explore what’s happening within you. I wonder… growing up, was one of your parents—or both—emotionally distant or critical? Did a quiet hope begin in your heart back then, a passion to one day turn an emotionally unavailable person into someone loving?

    With warmth and respect, Anita

    anita
    Participant

    Dear Robi:

    I can hear how much cars mean to you—but even more, how they represent something deeper: identity, freedom, and self-actualization. And I feel how painful it is to look back and see how many other passions—music, photography, working out—were left waiting. Not because you didn’t care, but because you were protecting yourself.

    You didn’t stop because you weren’t good enough. You stopped because some part of you believed it wasn’t safe to go all in.

    But now you see it. You recognize how your mind built patterns—hesitation, self-doubt, delay—not from weakness, but from survival. And now that survival isn’t the only goal, maybe it’s time to live.

    You asked: “How do I start?” Start small. Start imperfect. Choose one thing and follow it, just a little. One photo. One mix. One sprint. One quiet act of reclaiming joy.

    And when fear shows up—as it will—greet it gently. Say: “I see you. Thank you for trying to protect me. But I’m okay now.”

    Real change doesn’t come from forcing ourselves with rigid habits or pressure. It comes from relating to ourselves differently—with kindness, with gentleness.

    Judgment and harshness feed anxiety. Kindness and self-compassion soothe it.

    For you, kindness might sound like: “Of course I paused. I was scared. That makes sense. But now, I’m ready to take a small step—not to prove anything, just because I want to.”

    That’s how momentum begins—not with pressure, but with self-trust. A quiet trust that grows each time you choose, with kindness, not to shrink yourself.

    And when in doubt, Robi—yes, sprint. Your heart will thank you. 💛

    Cheering you on, Anita

    anita
    Participant

    Dear J:

    What I see in your story is someone with a very open heart—someone who’s been hurt before and now carries that hurt like armor. You were trying to protect yourself. When things felt uncertain or unclear, you pulled away—not because you didn’t care, but because you cared so much that staying began to feel dangerous. The idea of staying, only to be left unexpectedly, was too threatening. So, you left first.

    To protect yourself from the powerlessness of being abandoned, you used the power you did have in the moment—and ended it on your terms.

    Looking at you both through the lens of protectors: Your protector said: “Leave first so you won’t be left.” His protector said: “Stay in control so you won’t be hurt.”

    He seemed to lead with intellect, structure, and emotional distance. When things got tender—when you spoke from wonder, intuition, or need—he often shifted the conversation back into logic. That was his version of control. It came through in corrections, debates, emotional detachment, or vague plans.

    If emotional openness had brought him pain in the past, it’s possible he learned to stay rational, self-contained, and even critical—because feelings are messy, and messy can feel unsafe. That’s not cruelty. It’s self-protection. It’s armor.

    In the end, it wasn’t your hearts that met. It was your defenses, your protectors.

    But a loving relationship between you could have been possible—if you’d met each other with more awareness and care. It would’ve required both of you to soften your protectors and show up in new ways.

    On his part: — Instead of “No, you don’t understand!” or dismissing your ideas, he might have said: “That’s interesting—can you tell me more about what that means to you?” — When you expressed the need for structure, he could have responded: “It’s hard for me to plan ahead, but I care about how this affects you. Let’s find something that works for both of us.” — He might have named his edges by saying: “Sometimes I get sharp when I feel out of control. I’m trying to get better at that.”

    On your part: — Instead of pulling away in fear, you might have said: “I feel myself getting scared that I’m not enough for you. When I’m afraid, I sometimes shut down. I don’t want to do that here.” — Rather than overstating your beliefs to assert your worth, you could have gently said: “I love seeing magic in the world. I know not everyone does, but I’d like to share that part of me without having to defend it.” — You might have taken intimacy more slowly—not as a rejection, but as a way to build trust at a pace that felt safe for both of you.

    Together, you could have learned to say things like: “I think one of my protectors just showed up.” Or: “Can we pause? I want to connect, not react.” You could have shifted from debating who’s right to asking: “How can I show you I’m here?”

    If you had stayed open—to inquiry without shrinking, and he to wonder without retreating—you might have found a middle ground of respect and warmth.

    I share all this not to dwell in regret, but to offer you something restorative—whether for a future with him, or more importantly, for a future with someone else who can truly meet you. With presence. With patience. With the awe you deserve.

    With warmth and deep respect, Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446971
    anita
    Participant

    Is there more, more in me that needs to express tonight? Again, another night that has no darkness in it, it’s a BRIGHT LIGHT NIGHT. How I wish for some darkness, just a bit of dark.

    Back to expressing the repressed-and-suppressed.. Anything, Anita?

    My favorite song playing, “You and I Will Change the World”.

    So, something, anything you wish to express, dear self?

    – Well.. nothing comes to mind.

    How about heart, anything comes to heart?

    – Well.. I have been heard (Peter heard me). I am content.

    Still, it’d be a waste of red wine if you- we- don’t express.

    -You are a bit pushy, if you don’t mind me saying so.

    We are here, un-socialized, eager to..

    – Okay, let me see… Maybe I don’t feel like sharing anything right now.

    Okay.

    -True, there was so much bottled-in for so long.

    I want to give you the opportunity to express more. It’s something you enjoy so very much, when it happens.

    – Well, nothing burning to be let out.

    By the way, how come I can type anything and everything out.. whatever I want. No Moderator to Stop me?

    No, no moderator.

    – So.. okay, I can just type out anything, at any length.. whatever?

    Yes, seems like it, yes. Anything.

    – I do love getting into the core, into the depth of it all. It’s fascinating for me, a Life Worth Living= to Express.

    Tell me then, doesn’t have to be anything profound, breath-stopping, nothing that has to be a W.O.W

    – Okay, let me think. Well.. nothing comes to mind.

    It’s okay. I’m here just in case something comes to mind, just in case something comes back to heart.

    – I never wanted to be Alone. I always wanted to be Together. This is the gist of my truth. Together.

    It’s the EXCRUCIATING ALONESS all those years and decades.. too Long.

    Tell me, how can a single person be so Alone for so Long?

    * By the way, I don’t know who is talking to whom- within me- at this point

    There’s no Aloneness Police Force that says: we’ve GOT to attend to this one LONELY person, this one person had been Alone for too long..!

    -No, no such police force, no such protection from Aloneness.

    So, tell me, what’s within you tonight, please do tell.

    – It’s about the point where words are meaningless and yet there is no way to express here without words. That’s all I have .. words. How can I type away anything that’s not words?

    And the words say..?

    – Love me. Take me into your arms. Don’t ever let me go. Don’t ever let me be Alone (tears in my eyes).

    The many years of aloneness and loneliness, so many, many uncounted minutes, hours, days, nights and decades.

    I would title my Story: ALONE.

    No one should be this Alone. My heart is breaking for each and every person who has felt this Alone.

    Anita

    anita
    Participant

    Hi J:

    Thank you for sharing your story with such honesty—it’s clear that you’re someone who feels deeply and reflects with care. What you’ve been carrying isn’t just about a breakup. It’s about the ache of not being fully seen, the fear of being too much and not enough at the same time, and the grief of wondering whether a possible connection was lost or never truly safe to begin with.

    From what you described, it sounds like there was something real between you—moments of ease, laughter, attraction, and resonance. You saw a softness in him that felt familiar, maybe even sacred. And you were brave enough to show your own softness, your imagination, your quirky, luminous heart.

    But there were also moments where the connection didn’t feel like safe ground. His critiques, his dismissiveness, his lack of flexibility or warmth around the things that light you up—those aren’t small things. They chip away at the part of you that wants to feel accepted without needing to edit or defend herself.

    It’s so understandable to wonder if you made a mistake. Regret is how anxious hearts often cope with ambiguity—when a door closes and the pain rushes in, it’s easy to believe that staying would’ve spared you the ache.

    But often, the ache was already there—in the subtle disconnection, the feeling of not being “gotten,” the trying too hard to be enough.

    You didn’t lose a perfect relationship. You stepped away from one that held beauty and imbalance. And maybe the grief you feel now is really a longing to be held by someone who meets you with curiosity, not correction. Someone who honors your dreaminess instead of dismissing it. Someone who makes you feel safe enough to stay.

    You deserve that, J.

    He may think of you. He may not. But what really matters is this: you are not a fool for loving. You are not a failure for trying. You are growing in your knowing of yourself—and that knowing is a compass. Trust it. Trust you. You are learning not to flee or chase, but to stay. For yourself.

    And that’s the start of everything.

    🌙🕊️ With warmth, Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446969
    anita
    Participant

    Dear Peter:

    It’s so like you—not to demand or instruct, but to invite so gently (“I hear the beginning of a song”). You offer openings, not expectations, and that’s something I deeply value in the way you communicate.

    I’ll be thinking of a song… and wishing you rest and renewal during your offline time.

    Until next time, Anita 🌿🎵

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446963
    anita
    Participant

    More Expression because I can. Whatever comes to mind:

    Do you see the photo above my name? That’s me a few months ago, I still look the same and dress the same and have my hair in a pony tail. And I still weigh about the same, 108-110 pounds at 5’5”. I care about looking like that, YOUNG (from a distance.. ha-ha), torn jeans, no make up, like a girl, a girl I didn’t get to be when physically young.

    It’s just that I need to look young, to feel young- because I didn’t get to experience those things as a girl, a teenager, a young adult. I was definitely old way before my time.

    My life was a life put-on-hold, postponed for a better time, a time that did not come to be.

    I was dancing to live music outdoors a few months ago. A girl (preteen) was dancing with me, jumping, so I thought I’d jump with her, and I did, for a long time. It was heavenly. My knees hurt for a few das after, but I did Jump, I did Dance!

    The other day, I danced with older people, a woman in her 80s. It was MAGICAL!!!

    Well, this is it for now 🕺👯‍♀️🎶🎤💃🏼🔥🕺🏽🌟

    Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446962
    anita
    Participant

    “There was a man back in ’95 Whose heart ran out of summers, but before he died I asked him, ‘Wait, what’s the sense in life?’…

    Then he said, ‘Here’s a riddle for ya Find the answer There’s a reason for the world— You and I.’

    There are secrets that we still have left to find, Mysteries from the beginning of time. There are answers we’re not wise enough to see… He said, ‘You’re lookin’ for a clue? I love you free.’

    I guess we’re big, and I guess we’re small— If you think about it, man, you know, we got it all. ‘Cause we’re all we’ve got on this bouncin’ ball. And I love ya free. I love you freely.

    Here’s a riddle for ya: Find the answer. There’s a reason for the world— You and I.”-

    The lyrics shift from philosophical questions to a father’s love for his child. That transition—from the abstract to the intimate—is the riddle’s resolution. Not logic. Not certainty. But presence. Love. The courage to show up for each other.

    I see.

    It’s like the evolution of our communication here— from the abstract to I-love-you-freely.

    Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446961
    anita
    Participant

    Hi Peter:

    I was afraid that the emotionality in my “WOW! I AM OLD!!!” post last night meant I was failing at being still—and at healing, transforming. Looking back, I realize I’d been thinking that stillness meant the absence of feeling—that healing was supposed to resemble the end of a fairytale: no more pain, no more noise, just a peaceful, happily-ever-after kind of hush, soft as a lullaby. ✨🎵💫

    And that post of mine (like many others) was not… as soft as a lullaby.

    Yet even though I was afraid that I was a burden to you—that my emotions were unwelcome—I wasn’t sorry that I submitted that post, or the others that came before or after it.

    Your response today was as perfect as could be: no criticism, no disappointment—quite the opposite. It was gentle, compassionate, respectful, humble.

    If only I had someone like you in my young life…!

    For a moment, back then, I did. It was an uncle who asked me a question. I don’t remember the question, only that I’d never experienced anyone wanting to know what I thought in such an open, inviting way—not waiting for me to answer “wrong” so they could punish me for it.

    I think I was going to answer him in that magical moment, but my mother sat there beside him, looking at me with those dark, threatening eyes and slightly raised corners of her mouth… warning me. So I stayed silent—on the outside.

    I never got to thank him for asking me that question.

    Fast forward so many, many years—and now, you are like that uncle. And there is no one sitting beside you threatening me.

    So many years of suppression, day after day, night after night, decade after decade. I did express myself through poetry as a teenager and in my early twenties… but she read my poems and gave me that disapproving look—with those same slightly raised corners of her mouth.

    There was also that art class where I drew hands reaching out from a person’s head (my own), demanding HELP.

    And there were bursts of laughter here and there.

    But mostly, it was a desperate, depressed, suppressed kind of existence.

    So here I EXPRESS—and express and express—and it makes me feel alive. A life worth living.

    Thank you so much, Peter. Like I told you before: you’re the bee’s knees—one of a kind, in my humble estimation.

    Anita

    anita
    Participant

    Dear Robi:

    I’m so glad you liked the poem! 🙂

    As for V8s in the U.S., I looked it up: as of 2024, V8-powered vehicles made up about 38% of truck registrations, while V6s accounted for around 47.6%. This reflects a broader trend across the auto industry—downsizing engines for efficiency, with turbocharged V6s and even four-cylinders stepping in where V8s once ruled.

    That said, the V8 still has a loyal following—especially in performance cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, and Dodge Charger, as well as in full-size trucks and SUVs like the Chevy Silverado, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade. General Motors, in particular, is doubling down on V8s, investing nearly $900 million into next-gen small-block V8 production. (www. the drive. com/news/heres-why-gm-is-sticking-with-v8s-while-everyone-else-switches-to-six-cylinders)

    When I read the part where you said (I’m using BIG CASE letters for emphasis in this and in the following quotes), “I need SOMETHING THAT’S MINE – SOMETHING THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MINE,” I couldn’t help but think back to what you shared about your childhood seven years ago, on June 10, 2018:

    “I also hated them for NOT HAVING MY OWN ROOM. Well.. I did. But NONE OF THE STUFF THERE WAS MINE… I NEVER HAD MY OWN SPACE. I never had a room full of posters on the walls and PERSONAL THINGS around… I used to MINIMIZE whatever was happening on my computer every time they we’re entering the room. I don’t know why.. Maybe I was trying to keep SOMETHING FOR MYSELF.”

    And to what you shared on March 14 of this year: “I’ve been in SURVIVAL MODE so to speak. (perhaps for the past 32 years but these last months more than ever).”

    It struck me (again) how you didn’t just minimize the computer screen—you minimized yourself in order to survive. You lived in a space that made no room for your identity to stretch out, to breathe, to be seen without intrusion. But now.. now, you’re reaching for something different. You’re reaching for what was quietly preserved all along.

    Your connection to cars—it feels like so much more than a passion. It’s your way of maximizing what was once minimized. Of reclaiming joy, power, autonomy. Of creating space where you finally get to say, “This is mine. This is me.”

    And yet, I know this isn’t a one-act transformation because your brain built habits of minimizing, hesitating, waiting, and procrastinating, not out of laziness or flaw, but as survival strategies. These weren’t random behaviors; they were deeply adaptive responses to the conditions you grew up in.

    When you lived without privacy, without choice, without true agency, your system adjusted to keep you safe. You learned to stay small, to delay your desires, to second-guess your impulses—not because they were wrong, but because there was no room for them. Surviving meant dimming your own light so it wouldn’t get extinguished.

    And those habits? They’re not signs of weakness. They’re echoes of strength—reminders that you endured. But now, as you step toward reclaiming what is yours, it will take conscious, compassionate effort to rewire what once kept you safe. Not to erase it, but to thank it—and then move forward with tenderness and resolve.

    So now, as you begin to reach for more, I hope you’ll meet yourself with kindness and patience. Real change asks for it. You’re not doing it wrong if it takes time. You’re doing it bravely.

    Be gentle with yourself. Give yourself the grace to falter—and the courage to begin again. This isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about letting yourself finally be who you’ve always been.

    You’ve carried that longing for something that’s yours like a hidden engine idling in the background. Maybe now is the time to let it roar a little louder. 🏁🛞🔧

    I see it. And I see you 🏎️

    Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446953
    anita
    Participant

    Latest News: heavy-duty missiles hitting south Israel from Iran, in the last few minutes, sirens everywhere. I can’t go to bed without knowing.. can I?

    Four minutes ago, heavy duty sirens in the north, where I rode that bike at 16.

    In real-time, what is to happen next?

    The next update is 4 minutes ago. Reads like the north (where I am from) was not heavily hit by the latest heavy bombardment from Iran. The Negev (south) was hit, and so did Tel-Aviv. (9:30 pm).

    Five minutes later, a hospital in the south, Soroka in Bear-Sheva, was heavily bombarded. More bombardments a minute ago, Iranian Rage. Unexpected since they have been slowing down.

    Almost 10 pm, not quite dark, but how can I go to bed, not knowing what’s next.

    Two minutes ago- it’s serious. (Was hoping for better).

    .. A relief: citizens in Israel told at this time, 10 minutes ago, Thurs morning there, that they can get out of the safe-spaces.

    So, I can go to bed now, can I?

    My Life Story: Destruction at any time, when I was 5, 15, 25.. 45, 55.. and still.. destruction, end-of-the-world at any time.

    Oh.. I didn’t notice- it’s completely dark outside, at five minutes before 10 pm… Wonderful!

    The hospital in the south, Soroka, hit directly by Iran a short while ago, was extensively hit, 1 minute ago.

    Completely dark outside at 10:10 pm. And I didn’t even notice. Lovely!

    Still completely dark, and I didn’t even notice how EVERYTHING outside got dark. No thing of light to negotiate. it’s all dark, undeniably dark for the night, a relief.

    Except that 3 minutes ago there are report of injuries and possible deaths in Israel.

    If it was up to me, I would FIGHT against all that’s evil. I would protect the innocent, help the ones who need help.

    I’ll do anything, everything!

    Anita

    in reply to: Life Worth Living- what is it like? #446950
    anita
    Participant

    It’s okay, Peter, if you are giving up on me. It’s okay. It’s just that resting-into-the territory has to include .. in my case, decades-long of no-living, of languishing in a never-ending emotional- spiritual death while (physically) young and while getting older, not even noticing because I never got to be/ feel young. So…

    It’s like being born and then violently thrown into old age with the part of BEING YOUNG missing.

    Thank you, Peter. If this is uncomfortable for you, please feel comfortable to not respond. I almost hope you won’t. Because I think I may be a burden to you.

    Anita

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