yankee jigger Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hey Guys, Sittin here at work with a few hours left to go in my shift and there is something buggin me so i need to vent. First,ive really missed being around the site so ill try and get back down to the woodshed and post some info as time allows. Back in March,a guy who was extended family by marriage with two small kids under the age of six was depressed over a pending divorce.So instead of taking a deep breath,he decided to step in front of a train and exit Life.Case closed.No do-over,no dress rehearsal,just checked out. Today in the Chicago Sun-Times,I read about a guy who had financial troubles so he decided to leave a long letter on how much he loved his wife and kids then took 3 gallons of gasoline and torched his house with his family in it.His 11 year old son,wife and him died but two kids got out safely.Imagine the hell those two will go thru the rest of their lives. Last June,i was taking the train to work and some guy deceided to delay the start of my work day by jumping under the exact car i was riding in.Lets just say,seeing a human body mangled by a speeding train isnt pretty.I still have nightmares sometime. My question is IS LIFE REALLY THAT BAD???????????? We all have problems,i know i do but to whack your entire family or yourself because things arent going good is not the answer. I now work 70-80 hours a week at night and im not wiping my ass with $100.00 bills but ill go to bed at 5:00 a.m. and get up the next day and do the best i can. I missed my sons first hit at his baseball game and although it saddened me that i wasnt there to give him a pat on the back and a hug,he understands with his usual"I understand Dad why you have to work".Im doing the best i can. As bad as things get guys,we do the best we can then get up to do it again another day. Thanks for letting me vent. Yankee Jigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassrecord Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Yep some guys check out early. Others do the same thing with a bottle or with dope. Others run through wives and some become religious bigots to lose themselves. But you won't. You'll handle life's challenges well. Next month I'll turn 71 and with a lifetime of fishing with Grand Mom and Dad, Father and Mother, Son and Grandsons - it's all about memories. If you take your son (and daughters) fishing this summer say 7 times - squeeze in two more trips. Do it again next year. You'll probably have a biology lesson or two in your back pocket, but mostly let them call the shots about what they want to do. I was able to put off honey-do tasks and postpone shopping and use other gimmicks to go fish that I learned from my Dad - it worked. Today my thirty-something son says that the best memories he has in his life are our time on the water together. Me too! Him and my Dad. Wish I could have gotten them both on the water together! So even working ungodly hours, chisel time together on the water. Do I know how hard it is NOT to just conk out on days off but just two hours of bluegill and sun fish go a long way for kids. So good luck and go fish! John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 ...My question is IS LIFE REALLY THAT BAD???????????? We all have problems,i know i do but to whack your entire family or yourself because things arent going good is not the answer. ... Yankee Jigger Well, I have an answer to your question. But you may not be willing to accept it. The short answer is, yes, for some folks life really must be that bad. Some people can hack the trials of Lot, and some people simply cannot. The stark truth that one must accept is this: As a species, when humans are subjected to severe stress such as financial ruin, the end of a marriage/relationship/friendship, the loss or estrangement of one's children, loss of career, severe embarrassment or loss of reputation, familial stresses, and other emotionally-severe stresses, a person can rapidly reach the end of his rope. This is just the way we're wired. And whether we choose to accept it or not, this fact applies to each and all of us. We all carry with us the potential to act in this way. And what that means further, is that when you hear that someone is undergoing a nasty divorce and facing the loss of their children and some family relationships, there exists the potential that that otherwise completely normal person will load all their children into the minivan and drive it into the nearest lake. Or they may show up at work with a firearm. Or they may drive to a tall bridge. One need not be "crazy" to do this-- unfortunately, this is what humans sometimes do during stressful situations. So when you hear that someone you know is undergoing a stressful situation, lend them an ear and consider that their fuze may be shorter than you imagine. Well, you say, "That's just plumb nuts, Sagacious!" Not so. I have heard survivors who faced imminent catastrophe say, "Well, the only positive thing I could think of was that we would all die together as a family." I have heard survivors of plane crashes, maritime disasters, and natural disasters say that. What a curious thing to think was a "good" thing-- that the whole family should perish together. But nobody ever seems to think this is an odd thing for a survivor to say. Now, the ones that carry-out the catastrophe that claims their own family/friends/workmates also surely thought the same thing. Consider that for a moment. Both the "normal" survivors and the ones who drive the minivan into the lake seem to be thinking the exact same thing. We all carry the potential. So, don't let it surprise you. When stress strikes close to home, be aware of the potential and be prepared to act, and give the situation that nudge that will keep things on an even keel. Have a good day all, and keep safe. sagacious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) Yankee Jigger - It's happening here too, fortunately things are not too bad here compared to other places, how would you like to be in Iceland?? I saw/ experienced all of these horrible things as a fire-fighter for 33 years (and counting), so sometimes you think you are living in a permanent disaster area. You have empathy and lots of it, so you are more than half way there, most people would not know (or care) for what you are talking about, as long as they are cosy and warm. Hang in there .pete Edited June 5, 2009 by hazmail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankee jigger Posted June 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hey guys,i think you got me wrong. Im not thinking of checking out or whacking the wife and kids. I just needed to vent a little because here in Chicago,all you hear is people killing themselves,mostly white collar,due to the economy. 2 weeks from now,my season at work is going to be over and ill be working 40 hours,five days a week. Tommorrow i leave for a Angler Young Angler tournament with my two sons for our second year.Im a local sponsor and made a 1/2 dozen jigs for 90 kids. The great wife i have bought me a new Mission Archery compound bow so i can get back into bowhunting after 10 years this fall. Im going to the Holy Grail of smallmuth bass fishing,Chequamegon Bay Wisconsin at the end of july(not prime time)with the wife and kids to pursue my goal of a 22 inch smallmouth. This wasnt a cry for help,just frustrated. Y.J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazmail Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 Y.J - good on you, hope you have fun - 40 hours is going to seem like a holiday after 70-80 hours, enjoy.pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted June 5, 2009 Report Share Posted June 5, 2009 My comments weren't directed at you, YJ. Just answering your question about can life really get that bad. For some people, yes. For others, no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cadman Posted June 6, 2009 Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 Yankee jigger, For those that don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankee jigger Posted June 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2009 Sorry to hear you got laid off Ted. Id like to say you have more time to go fishing but finding employment is probably more on your mind. I got word a couple weeks ago a good friend is relocating to New York due to downsizing.For him its a good deal,relocation package and so on but im losing a good friend that i used to fish with alot. Ill see him this weekend at the Angler Young Angler Tournament and say goodbye. Dont know when and if ill ever see him again or whether we will ever sit in the same boat again........ What a ****ty year. Yankee Jigger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlcam Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 I have thought alot lately about the economy,the world,and life in general and I am as perplexed as most people.I have seen some coworkers go through alot in thier lives and handle it in different ways.I don't know what I would do if true tragedy were to strike my family.I have had alot to happen in the last few years,not as bad as some people but worse than some.I got seperated,( but didn't divorce) had to sell my dream home,my eighteen year old daughter had a baby,my mother passed away,I just had to take a ten thousand a year cut in pay and may have to start traveling away from home again,and the doctor my wife works for is moving his practice to south Miss.And sometimes I wonder why me.God said that he would not put more on us than we can handle,and its took me awhile to realize that most things we bring on ourselves by making bad decisions.We cannot stop somethings but some we can if we use the choices God gives us wisely and pray about them beforehand.I can't say I would react differently than some of those people you have mentioned above,but I hope and pray I will never have to find out.Me and a fellow coworker have always joked and said if you hear of me commiting suicide,suspect foul play.Although it is no joking matter.We just need to keep our hopes up that this time in our world will soon take a turn for the better.No matter how bad we might think we have it,we can always look around and unfortunatley some have it worse than we do.Oh, and by the way that little grandaughter has been a true blessing to me and my wife, she never fails to make us smile everyday...Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
