CuriousByNature

If I am ever kissed at some point in my life, I have no doubt my shaking would register on the Richter scale - LOL. Or I suppose it's the modified Mercali scale now. 🤣

My sincere condolences on your father's passing.

"That's what he said."

"Mother's sudden paralysis forces father to explain to children what happens when you step on a crack...."

We just have to play the hand we're dealt as best as we can, and keep motoring forward. Pretty much anything we experience, whether good or bad, can either build us up or pull us down. Even if we live 100 years life is like a blink of the eye.

I imagine people can take things a bit too far, however...

This hits the nail on the head. I am very happy for you - it makes all the difference when one feels supported growing up. I am not in that boat unfortunately, and have spent many years being overly critical about myself - to the point where I am my own harshest judge. Brutally harsh. That can lead a person to just give up on believing that anyone would give them a second glance, and therefore miss those moments when someone may have been interested. I think building confidence in others is one of the greatest gifts we can give someone.

Everyone's human. There are those who might post negative comments for reasons other than an objective assessment of the situation. A client or provider could have a bee in their bonnet about something that would not bother most reasonable observers, and decide to post negatively to teach the person they are upset with a lesson. So, it isn't necessarily that anyone is posting 'fake warnings' - it could be that people are posting warnings that they believe are justified from their personal and subjective understanding, but in reality, a warning may not be objectively warranted. IMHO it's a matter of perspective, and unfortunately a lot of damage to the reputations of both providers and clients can result.

I hope you don't disappear from posting. A forum is only as rich as the diversity of thought and opinions it encourages. I've looked at your post and I see someone who was really hoping for great experiences in Chicago, but was unfortunately let down time and time again. By the time you were to meet Mr. Big, I think it is completely understandable to have gotten into a negative headspace and perhaps lost patience wondering if Mr. Big would bother showing up. Especially with everything else you happen to be dealing with, and the fact that he couldn't bother returning your calls. I doubt I would have waited more than 15 minutes myself, and if I did I probably wouldn't have been in much of a mood to meet with anyone. You are dealing with a hellish experience with brain cancer. I can only imagine that time is all the more precious to you, than it is for many of the people on this forum. Perhaps Mr. Big can afford to take time for granted, but I understand that you cannot, and God forbid I ever judge you for that.

For what it's worth, I think you were quite reasonable in your assessment of the situation. Right from the get-go it seemed like his commitment was 'iffy' at best because he told you he would be sleeping until 15 minutes before your appointment time, and you knew it was not likely he could be there by that time. IMHO, if he was serious about meeting you (and not just after he rolled out of bed) he should have asked to meet you at 3pm instead of 2pm, OR... maybe he could have been a grown up and not slept into the afternoon. This is his career, apparently. Sorry you are getting nasty personal messages - I think that's completely uncalled for regardless of whether anyone thinks you were somehow in the wrong.

And those who came close but 'lost' would include George Burns, who died about 6 weeks after passing 100.

Something looks off to me... perhaps AI?

... and then multiply by 1.5

Completely off topic, but when I quickly glanced at your name I thought it was 'Osteoporosisboy'... there are meds that can help with that. LOL

That would be terrifying...

Very true. And it can be scary. I think in my 40s I reached the point where my indignation about the state of the world and my defiance cancelled out the fear I may have had. And now that I am within weeks of turning 50, I feel even more emboldened by realizing I probably only have another 60 or 70 years left.

There's a difference between a phobia or irrational fear and trying to constantly protect oneself. I stopped worrying about 'what might happen' when traveling because I realized when your time is up, your time is up. Everything we do has some level of risk attached - even staying at home. So I would rather travel and potentially live a shorter life if an accident were to happen, than stay at home 'safe and sound' and regret all the things I sacrificed along the way. For me it would be a sacrifice, but for others, perhaps not.

Those sound like some pretty serious injuries for someone that age. Did the report mention anything about racing near train tracks and getting hit by the train?

So.... what did you end up doing?

Some attachments can be pretty scary... and others are less serious but still hard to shake.