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61
Happy friendship stuff going on today.

Recently my dog-sitter friend, C, agreed to adopt Pup should I predecease him -- idea went up when I noticed him streak into her lap when she stopped to visit recently, asked her if she'd consider it and got an immediate Yes. (I'll add a bequest for her to my will.) Prolly already told y'all this. She lives in a lovely setting where he'd get great walks, and he stayed with her in October. She's both calm and responsible and though he'd grieve, he'd have a great retirement with her. As she dog-sits, that'd include new dog friends!

Last week I took C to meet A (New English friend, distinct from OEF next door). A has written a series of highly-researched historical novels about a misunderstood king and C is a huuuge fan of her work. Asked A if she'd like that and she goes: Do I want to meet a FAN? Are you kidding? Come for tea! So we did and had a great time. I have another historical-novelist friend, J, who's met A once and both said they'd love to meet again.

Arranged to meet them both today downtown at a Himalayan restaurant that is YUM. Invited another friend too, ML, the former-pres of "Village" project, close friend of A, who introduced me to A when A and her hubs recently moved here. ML was heading off for a month in Spain and worrying about A feeling isolated. I set up a lunch with writers and went to A's for Boxing Day.

Today is kind of last minute for ML and C, but I'm feeling a happy alphabet of friendship right now. Grateful. J and A can talk shop which is VERY fun to listen to, and C and perhaps ML chime in as readers. I haven't read A's books yet but am hooking her up with local writing community stuff. Networking.

Later today I'm going to have a "tune-up" session online with former T, who invited me to if I never needed it. It'll be helpful to review the Poet drama, at least briefly, to figure out the relationship between a Co-D outbreak and depxiety these days.
All good, all about living.

It's still whoopsie-cold, but the sun's been out. Snow's melting off and Pup comes in with muddy paws to share them with the bedspread. Best part of spring will be meeting friends with Pup along at outdoor cafes downtown. Soooooon!

hugs
Hops
62
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: The island
« Last post by lighter on February 16, 2026, 11:17:38 AM »
👍 Amber.
63
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: The island
« Last post by Hopalong on February 16, 2026, 10:36:13 AM »
Yikes! Electric? Propane?

Sending flame-squelching vibes...

hugs
Hops
64
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: The island
« Last post by sKePTiKal on February 16, 2026, 06:52:53 AM »
Oh my. One more reason to let go property you can't personally maintain/oversee.
65
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: The island
« Last post by lighter on February 15, 2026, 09:50:01 PM »
Well....the day was going so well.  Cottage guests went from...."where's a can opener" this morning to "there was a spark when we plugged in the toaster and now there's a fire behind the washing machine help help help!!!!"

So.... it's the new water heater.  I know this because the "caretaker" answered the phone, not for me, but for his sister, the housekeeper, and ran to help two minutes after I called.

Guests super sweet about it. I have to go fetal and breathe for a while.



66
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: N.
« Last post by Meh on February 15, 2026, 12:37:13 AM »
"Awareness vs. Impairment: Someone in a wheelchair isn't choosing not to walk to spite you. A person with high-level narcissistic or psychopathic traits, however, is often making a series of tactical choices to maintain power, hide their tracks, and exploit others.

The "Mask of Sanity": This is a term often used in psychology to describe how abusers and psychopaths can appear perfectly normal—even charming—to the outside world. This ability to "switch it on and off" suggests a level of control that a typical disability doesn't have.

Harm as a Tool: For a child abuser or a psychopath, the "malfunction" isn't just a personal struggle; it is a predatory orientation toward other people."

It's Google generated text.
67
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: N.
« Last post by Hopalong on February 14, 2026, 08:14:28 PM »
Oh, yeah. Their creepy glare has NO POWER you don't give it.
And from your observing (instead of enmeshing), you know you are different.

Grey rock technique...over again.

Oxygen at you....

hugs
Hops
68
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: N.
« Last post by Meh on February 14, 2026, 03:07:59 PM »

The rotting stagnant narcissist watches me just stares and stares. When I try to pack up my bag with my computer etc. They try to look at every item I touch. It's unsettling. It feels VERY gross and uncomfortable. I googled it and landed on a video where someone else is saying just this thing about covert narcissists specifically they just watch and stare and stare.

It seems to be that narcissists are way MORE disturbed than most people believe.
69
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: N.
« Last post by Hopalong on February 14, 2026, 01:08:04 PM »
Thanks for bringing all that up, Meh. It's been satisfying to think about this morning, like a tuneup.

I learned from some article recently that procrastination and disorder are often features of ADHD, my particular bugaboo. Perfectionism slides in with it, in the sense that I fall into sloughs during which I don't do a basic thing (over and over) because I've already told myself I have to do it perfectly, like Dad's excellent but OCD map making, or old M cooking like it's an Olympic competition. Perfectionistic rumination is paralysing. Starts a cycle...oh, I know I'll screw it up, so why try? The world is bad, people are bad, I have no power to change my life so why try? (By now I know better than to accept this justification but also know my self-talk is where it starts.)

For me, perfectionism = anxiety that sometimes runs away with me. It's really fear of STARTING a new behavior, because what if I don't complete it just right? That makes a whole cascade of fear of older age or incompetence kick in.

I once interviewed Martin Seligman for a book chapter, and read his book, Learned Optimism. No self-help theory is magical, imo, but this one did grind off a lot of my resistance to hopefulness. There must be newer authors examining this now.

I haven't learned anything theoretical about why writing absorbs me so much I can have pinpoint focus or work on something for hours and hours. (The gift within the problem of adhd for some people is an ability to hyperfocus in some area.) I know I feel happy as I work on ideas like voluntary simplicity (not minimalism, exactly), or music (neglected piano), or simply a small painting. I need to create because when I do, some positive action in duller parts of life feels more natural.

I haven't worked with my HANDS in ages, unless typing counts, LOL. And there's a hand-brain connection that...does something good. Explains gardening and art, imo.

hugs
Hops
70
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board / Re: N.
« Last post by Meh on February 13, 2026, 01:38:01 PM »

 It appears that I am reading GAD is same as learned helplessness. It's just that in books about anxiety they don't use the term learned helplessness and they do not say what caused it. I suppose it doesn't matter as long as one attempts to use some techniques. So this also means procrastination is linked to learned helplessness.
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