How Do You Live?
 

We live clean and happy. We do not suffer fools, or cheats, liars, and thieves.
We may be poor but we do not allow it to affect our attitude, sure their are things we want, like cars, and a bigger apartment. But we are happy with each other, and our christian lifestyle.

My mom once told me that she was worried about my soul, cause I hadn't given my heart to Jesus. I told her it was too late, I already gave it go God.

How do I live? Most of the time I chop wood and carry water...and try to pay attention.

I live the best I can - try to set a good example for my sons. Most times I am pretty happy - sometimes not... I'm lonely at times, but that is part of the ebb and flow of life.

FTMW! :D

:vomitblu:

quality of life over quantity of stuff
 

We live on a single income so that our children can be raised at home by their mother.

For people who never do anything or go anywhere, we have surprisingly hectic lives.

Tell me about it.

Buying a house, building a career, going back to school, and having two kids really shouldn't be done all at once.

I don't usually like bumper stickers but your motto just might make it on one.

I bet it's not actually a Christian lifestyle so much as a lifestyle that the Christians you know validate and reinforce.

Unless you have washed the feet of some lepers recently.

It's just like the Muslim lifestyle in Muslim countries is not necessary a Muslim lifestyle per se, but reflects the culture of the peoplel living there. Arabs for example are extraordinarily kind to visitors. But this is not a Muslim thing, it's by necessity of living in desert conditions where if you are not kind to visitors they will die or kill you first.

I think.

How is it that people who are not Christians know how Christians should live, and people who are not parents know best how to raise kids? And oh yeah, why is it we read advice from dead guys about how to live? OMG! I think I've become Andy Rooney!

I know how everybody should live, but because I'm such an S.O.B. I don't tell them. Let them figure it out for themselves.

I still haven't determined what's my ass and what's a hole in the ground.

I guess because there is a whole gamit of parents who should not be. Much of rasing kids is not rocket science and even those with average intelligence know that permits should be issued before you produce the spawn and only after you pass the test and gene pool screening by a group of judges.

I live on a wing and a prayer.

I live in hope.

I'm not wanting to get in a pissing contest w/ you flint, but we live on half an income so bofus can raise the kids. Well, we both sort of work at home, but she does the lions share of kid raising. When needed I'll raise my eyebrow and that mostly keeps them in line.

My buddy has a bumper sticker that says: "Live simply, so I don't have to."

unrelated to Flint, but maybe it's apropos.

We have no kids and live on two incomes so we can raise ourselves.

I try to stay out of the smoke more than I'm in the smoke.

Also, problems and details. Getting through life while enjoying it is all about sorting problems from details. Broken dishwasher: detail. Sick family member: problem.
And as my dad tells me just about every time I see him, be the person you want to become. Kind of a take off Ghandi's thing, but still good words to live by I think.

I live wrapped in fear of failure, looking for something to be passionate about and skilled at and proud of, and maybe even being able to earn a living doing that thing. I try to be open to the world when my habit is to run and hide.

I can relate to that. My instinct is not really to venture out, to avoid large gatherings of people and to take the easy path. My lifestyle is such that I have to battle that instinct on a daily basis. I have learned over the years a few tricks that help me not to disappear into my own unsociability. I used to avoid committing to things for fear I'd not want to do it, or fail at it when the time comes. Now I commit first and fear it after. I've learned to trust in my ability to rise to the challenge once absolutely have to.

I've now found the things I am passionate about, skilled at and become proud of. I hope one day to earn my living doing it.....in a sense I already am: I am on a combination of student loan and grant, so effectively i am being paid (and going into debt) to study. It's taken me a hell of a long time though. I can date the time I first found something that sparked me and got me out there to 2004. I was 32. Since then the thing that initially sparked me has faded into the backdrop and my new passion is a return to an old love: academia.

I live a simple, though somewhat hedonistic, lifestyle. I don't realy value stuff (except books) as long as I have a working version of something I don't feel a need to acquire new versions. When my tv broke I brought my portable tely down from upstairs and used that for about 6 months until someone was throwing away a telly and gave it to me. I could have afforded a telly (just) but I had a working (if small) one in my house so....

I've been wanting an i-pod for the last couple of years......but not enough to drive me out to buy one...

What I couoldn't cope with is not having a tv at all! I am a telly addict. I couldn't not have broadband.....drove me mad when I didn't.

I don't really value stuff....but I overvalue entertainment. Like I said, hedonistic.

I hear and understand, Dana. To a large extent, I'm like that too.

and -- I bought my ipod from Amazon. :)

I live faily simply. I try to be honest and real. At the end of the proverbial day, I can safely say that I was true to myself, I felt extreme happiness and overbearing sadness, I tried to be kind without losing my convictions, and never pretended to be anything that I am not (and all the faults and victories that entails.)

hehehe.... back when we lived on one income, it was because the cost of daycare exceeded mom's gross income... You do the math.

I never thought I'd live past 25 (and tried to make that happen more than once) so the fact that I'm nearing 50 and happier now than i was for the first 40 years of my life says to me that maybe I finally got it right.

The simple lifestyle philosophy and ideas on fun ways to live cheaply from Living Poor with Style have influenced my choice of guiding stars. The need to do so is mostly gone, but the sense remains. Mostly I want to leave nothing behind except footprints on the Internet. That's enough for me, I think.

We are constantly working toward further simplification. We live on one income, also. I try to make as many of our meals from scratch as possible. We limit the electronics (video games, computer and TV) for our children so they get as much real world experience as we can allow for until we can no longer determine the best way for them to spend their time. Yeah, we have a damned good life.

I live for the now and for the future.
I don't look to the past as my stepping stone, such as I don't look back on ancestry, where I came from or how I came to this point in life. My concerns, goals and visions are for the now and the later.

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate the ones who came before me and helped plant me in the position I am in, but I think what truly matters is what I am going to do now to contribute to society and in the future on this planet.

Is that a bit naive? Just wondering.

Quite the opposite, actually.

One Day at a Time.

(Don't go getting the wrong idea ... I can and will drink like a fish, but since college it's mostly for flavor, not for effect. I respect Friends of Bill W, at least the ones that are cool about it, not the assholes who have to remind you of their sobriety every 15 seconds or so. But with all the complex nonsense that goes on in my life, with the work I do, and especially in the last couple years with my mom, I find that dealing with each day in isolation, putting it to bed, and seeing what the next one brings is actually a pretty smart way of approaching life. Of course my 403(b) hemorrhages cash, but overall, I'm happy.)

My how my life has changed over the past 8 years. In 2000, I was a very well known commander of a multi-agency vice/narcotics task force. I had the lifestyle, family, and a very nice house. Now I'm a lonely soldier whose total earthly possessions fit in a ruck & a duffel bag. I have no TV. I only own 3 civilian shirts & 2 pairs of pants. I don't even have a car. You know something... I have learned I don't need "things" to make me happy. I am thankful for a hot meal & a safe place to sleep. My joy comes from helping kids I encounter on my journeys. You should see the smile on a child's face when you give them a warm blanket or their first pair of shoes.

I could say more, but does it really matter. I have nothing, but in some ways I am the richest man on earth.....

Yes it most certainly does - no doubt about it!

You're a superhero!

Look ya'll, I'm a grouchy old sergeant. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. I walked away from everything to rejoin the military after 9/11.

I'm not that nice of a person. I just have a soft spot for kids in need. Here's a couple of videos I made to thank folks for the help they gave to the kids.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnqrJliDsI4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7B1HZMBcMA

Ahh, well done Sarge. :notworthy

I live by doing what I can to make sure my mitochondria are functioning properly and that my cell growth and division rates continues to match/gently exceed my cell death rate.

I exist by maintaining my mind and self awareness on various levels.

I thrive by keeping this squishy vessel I call body as entertained, stress free and engaged as possible.

Viva la good times! :jig:

We live such busy lives that we ought not to have time to get into trouble, but somehow, we still do. :)

Seriously...we have a lot going on, some say too much, but we still have time for what is important, which is finding joy in the little things and in each other.

Ain't dat the truth?

See, I pick out the positive part :p

I manage that bit, it's true.
But I feel I have so much less time on my hands than when I lived in Leicester. It's not true of course - my full time job is exactly the same amount of hours per week, as is my part time job (split into two shifts).
Which is why I'm looking around for things to occupy the time I pretend I don't have. I'm just wasting my free time at present.

Fingers crossed I'll start my degree in Feb (MUST confirm whether I can get funding before I dream about this any more). Then I'm going to start going to The Atheist Society meetings once a month, meet some like-minded people, get out of my comfort zone. Then I'm going to look for a choir.

And then, the answer to how I live my life will be - productively!

Sundae, as far as I know there is financial assistance available for OU as long as your household income is less than £30 k a year. It'll be on a sliding scale like the loans and grants for regular uni. So if your income is less than (i think) £20k a year, you'd get the maximum available.


(though I haven't taken account of London Weighting in that).

We are far from rich, and always have put our family relationships above all else.
To the point that I gave up a good paying job in the steel mill for the least paying job there as a janitor while our boys were growing up so that I could get off of the swing shift and work steady daylights to be home in the evenings as a family. (runon sentence) :3_eyes: After the boys grew up I went back to the swing shift jobs for money we really needed for a while.
But it was so totally worth those years of being a "sanitary engineer".
Now I have a decent paying job and steady daylights. WOOT! :cool:

I live with a constant question... "what if..." can't seem to get away from wondering if my life would be better/could be better.

In happy mode until home. Then I get told how I am deaf, dumb and blind. Not in those words exactly but you get the point. There's only one person in the house that is right and I am reminded every day it isn't me.

Can't wait to go to work in the morning, less stressful and no BS.

Tink, are you living in my house, with my spouse, and I don't know it? Hang in there - don't lose your mind... I was border-line insane because of that kind of treatment until I started seeing a therapist about 8 months ago. Who would have thought that I just might be a good person?!?!?! :)

That sounds very interesting. I'd love to hear more of the story. Would you be willing to share with us?

Man, Tink and Laurie, I feel your pain. Laurie, I'm glad to hear you are doing better, keep with it.

For me its not every day, just four or five a month now when her peri-menopause hits. At least thats hormonal and usually life is pretty great for us.
But there were times...

You both need to know that marriage isn't supposed to be like that(manipulating and controlling); and that with effort on both spouse's parts, you guys can look forward to coming home and relishing the evening hours spent together.

It is possible, we've done it.

I'm skeptical, but I'm listening.

awwwwwkwwwaaaardddddd

Soooo, how 'bout them Redsox?

Bitch, you keep your mouth shut or I'll beat you down again.

I don't know why you let her talk to you like that.

does this mean you're going to try to get into my virtual pants again, and then let me take the blame for it when you go to patch it up with Tunk? cuz that was SOOOO pleasurable for me.

Oh, you know it was all your doing, you little strumpet. You set out to steal mah mayun. between you and labrat's ass, a girl hardly stands a chance. guess I'll go to another high powered lunch under my boss's desk. mmmrpfphhhgluurrb glupppp......

Just relax people.....jeez....if more of you were poly-amorous, this kind of thing would be no problem. love the one you're with, man.

oh, razzz...let me have a turn with bigvaj. you get all the stalker types. or maybe we could share him? yum yum.....

oh, yeah.... a threesum! eggsellent!

I'll take pics! and if you want, I kuld keep mrs Tunk compuny while you three play around!...

yeehaww!

like sand through an hourglass

theses are the sockpuppets of our liveses

OMG LJ take an Adderal LOL! ;)

What The Fuck? Has somebody been pissing acid into the water again?

Ow, ow, Orangina comin' out the nose!