Collette Mattingly

I used to have a LOT of animals before I had my first son.  But when I switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products, either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live with animals, unsanitary also. It doesn't seem wrong to me for people to have companion animals they take excellent care of but for me it doesn't gel anymore.  I don't know what triggered it.  My son would love to have a dog, cat, anything and he's like your daughter.  So she may or may not feel that way someday but it will probably be in the distant future if at all. BTW, outdoor cats also mess up the natural balance in the area by killing birds, mice, squirrels,etc.  When we move we'll have much more land and will rescue downed factory farm animals (or elephants if my DH can find a way!LOL) so DS won't be completely deprived.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
From: yuli womie
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 3:33 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism

We're vegetarians, too. Though I don't like labels, so
I normally just say we don't eat meat. I have a
question for Colette (beautiful name, by the way; have
you read Colette the writer?). What about companion
animals, cats and dogs and so forth? Just curious
about how you feel about that. My dd is must more of
an animal rights activist than I'd ever have the
energy to be. At age 8, she writes letters to the
editor about furs, she plays
throw-the-tomato-at-the-fur-wearer at PETA's website,
she adopts seals with her birthday money, she goes
right up to strangers in furs and asks them if they
know an animal was killed to make the coat, etc. And
embarrassingly, she will see someone eating fish in a
restaurant and say (not shout, but say in a normal
tone of voice), "I wish that fish was still alive." So
far, she hasn't had the realization that many shoes
are leather. I already had to give up my suede jacket
when she made me realize what a hypocrite I was being
to wear it. :) Soon, I'm sure, the entire family will
be wearing only non-animal shoes.  Anyway, two cats
have us as pets/servants/royal subjects and I'm
wondering if I can expect dd to want to liberate them
in the future. Because I'd have to get pretty coercive
and authoritarian about saying no way to that. :)



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yuli womie

We're vegetarians, too. Though I don't like labels, so
I normally just say we don't eat meat. I have a
question for Colette (beautiful name, by the way; have
you read Colette the writer?). What about companion
animals, cats and dogs and so forth? Just curious
about how you feel about that. My dd is must more of
an animal rights activist than I'd ever have the
energy to be. At age 8, she writes letters to the
editor about furs, she plays
throw-the-tomato-at-the-fur-wearer at PETA's website,
she adopts seals with her birthday money, she goes
right up to strangers in furs and asks them if they
know an animal was killed to make the coat, etc. And
embarrassingly, she will see someone eating fish in a
restaurant and say (not shout, but say in a normal
tone of voice), "I wish that fish was still alive." So
far, she hasn't had the realization that many shoes
are leather. I already had to give up my suede jacket
when she made me realize what a hypocrite I was being
to wear it. :) Soon, I'm sure, the entire family will
be wearing only non-animal shoes. Anyway, two cats
have us as pets/servants/royal subjects and I'm
wondering if I can expect dd to want to liberate them
in the future. Because I'd have to get pretty coercive
and authoritarian about saying no way to that. :)



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Tracy Oldfield

Anyway, two cats
have us as pets/servants/royal subjects and I'm
wondering if I can expect dd to want to liberate them
in the future. Because I'd have to get pretty coercive
and authoritarian about saying no way to that. :)

Knowing cats, you wouldn't need to. they know when
they're on to a good thing, and I'm assuming that they
have access to the outside world, so if they weren't
ahppy, they'd leave. Cats are like that. We got one
that way. Dogs, however another thing altogether, and
while I know that any dog of mine (ha! I wish, dh would
never...) wouldn't be abused, they do stay with their
owners even when they are. Sad isn't it?

Tracy

Lynda

Oh dear, I hope not. There was a group down in the Marin/Sonoma County area
that was "liberating" pets a couple of years ago. They took the animals and
turned them loose so they would be "free" with the end result that several
dozen pets died of starvation before the local animal rescue folks rounded
up the balance and saved them.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: "yuli womie" <yuliwomie@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 12:33 PM
Subject: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism


> We're vegetarians, too. Though I don't like labels, so
> I normally just say we don't eat meat. I have a
> question for Colette (beautiful name, by the way; have
> you read Colette the writer?). What about companion
> animals, cats and dogs and so forth? Just curious
> about how you feel about that. My dd is must more of
> an animal rights activist than I'd ever have the
> energy to be. At age 8, she writes letters to the
> editor about furs, she plays
> throw-the-tomato-at-the-fur-wearer at PETA's website,
> she adopts seals with her birthday money, she goes
> right up to strangers in furs and asks them if they
> know an animal was killed to make the coat, etc. And
> embarrassingly, she will see someone eating fish in a
> restaurant and say (not shout, but say in a normal
> tone of voice), "I wish that fish was still alive." So
> far, she hasn't had the realization that many shoes
> are leather. I already had to give up my suede jacket
> when she made me realize what a hypocrite I was being
> to wear it. :) Soon, I'm sure, the entire family will
> be wearing only non-animal shoes. Anyway, two cats
> have us as pets/servants/royal subjects and I'm
> wondering if I can expect dd to want to liberate them
> in the future. Because I'd have to get pretty coercive
> and authoritarian about saying no way to that. :)
>
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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> Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail.
> http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/?.refer=text
>
>
> Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
> Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com
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>
>

A. Yates

How wonderful!! Yeah for your daughter to have the courage! I hope she has
the energy for a long time!!!
Give her a huge hug from the rest of us humans that she is benefiting!
Ann

Collette Mattingly

I'm not saying animals should be vegan, it's nature, or that people should not have pets.  For my family it seems unsanitary to have an animal kept in a house where they will shed hair, have parasites, relieve themselves in a box or in the yard where I would have to pick it up.  There is nothing wrong with animals shedding or going to the bathroom, etc., just not in my house.  I respect animals for their nature, so to me it is unnatural to have animals living with humans.  That's also why I don't eat them.  Humans are devastating the earth.  We are no longer a part of nature/natural balance.  As for the environment, cats are not part of the natural environment in my area, maybe a mountain lion once upon a time. We already have a decline in songbirds because of loss of habitat in the rainforest so I really hate finding them dead in my yard.  The mice and squirrels provide food for the few fox that happen to be left in my area.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
From: Erin M
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 1:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism





>I used to have a LOT of animals before I had my first son.  But when I
>switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products,
>either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live
>with animals, unsanitary also. It doesn't seem wrong to me for people to
>have companion animals they take excellent care of but for me it doesn't
>gel anymore.   I don't know what triggered it.  My son would love to have a
>dog, cat, anything and he's like your daughter.  So she may or may not feel
>that way someday but it will probably be in the distant future if at all.
>BTW, outdoor cats also mess up the natural balance in the area by killing
>birds, mice, squirrels,etc.  When we move we'll have much more land and
>will rescue downed factory farm animals (or elephants if my DH can find a
>way!LOL) so DS won't be completely deprived.-Collette
>
I don't understand. You are a vegan who seems to believe that animals are on
equal footing, but you think it's unsanitary to have them in the house? That
makes no sense to me. As for outdoor cats messing up the balance, actually
outdoor cats help keep the balance. In towns and cities where predatory
mammals have been eliminated for human safety reasons, rodents like
squirrels and mice will have lots of little baby squirrels and mice and will
over populate. I really don't understand veganism, animals eat other
animals. Do you expect them to realize that they are "all of the same
family" and stop eating each other? No, they are animals and it's their way
of life.
I'm sure someone will think of a good argument for me.
Erin
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Erin M

>I used to have a LOT of animals before I had my first son. But when I
>switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products,
>either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live
>with animals, unsanitary also. It doesn't seem wrong to me for people to
>have companion animals they take excellent care of but for me it doesn't
>gel anymore. I don't know what triggered it. My son would love to have a
>dog, cat, anything and he's like your daughter. So she may or may not feel
>that way someday but it will probably be in the distant future if at all.
>BTW, outdoor cats also mess up the natural balance in the area by killing
>birds, mice, squirrels,etc. When we move we'll have much more land and
>will rescue downed factory farm animals (or elephants if my DH can find a
>way!LOL) so DS won't be completely deprived.-Collette
>
I don't understand. You are a vegan who seems to believe that animals are on
equal footing, but you think it's unsanitary to have them in the house? That
makes no sense to me. As for outdoor cats messing up the balance, actually
outdoor cats help keep the balance. In towns and cities where predatory
mammals have been eliminated for human safety reasons, rodents like
squirrels and mice will have lots of little baby squirrels and mice and will
over populate. I really don't understand veganism, animals eat other
animals. Do you expect them to realize that they are "all of the same
family" and stop eating each other? No, they are animals and it's their way
of life.
I'm sure someone will think of a good argument for me.
Erin
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

Collette Mattingly

Kris-Good Point.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 9:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism

In a message dated 3/31/01 2:24:44 PM Pacific Standard Time,
collettemattingly@... writes:

<< The mice and squirrels provide food for the few fox that happen to be left
in my area.-Collette >>

With this society's dependence on poisons I doubt rodents will ever have the
chance to over populate.

Kris


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[email protected]

In a message dated 3/31/01 2:24:44 PM Pacific Standard Time,
collettemattingly@... writes:

<< The mice and squirrels provide food for the few fox that happen to be left
in my area.-Collette >>

With this society's dependence on poisons I doubt rodents will ever have the
chance to over populate.

Kris

Collette Mattingly

Look, it seems people are taking me wrong. If you want to live with animals, I don't care.  I don't care how anybody lives their life.  I said for ME it seems strange.  I am not a cave man and don't need to eat meat or live with animals.  It may have worked in a distant time when there wasn't so many bloody humans.  Humans on this earth are TO ME like the super-microbes that keep getting stronger everytime we try and kill them with a new antibiotic.  There is nothing in nature anymore that is balancing the overpopulation of humans, that is why I DON"T THINK we are part of nature anymore.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2001 10:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism


In a message dated 3/31/01 12:45:58 PM, arabhorses_rock@... writes:

<<  But when I
>switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products,
>either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live
>with animals, unsanitary also. >>

People have lived with or near dogs since prehistoric times--it's a symbiotic
relationship.  They hear and smell much better than we do and can bite to
take down other animals;  we see much better and use tools.  They eat
by-products of the meat that humans (most of them, all known cave men did)
eat--they can eat bones and skin.

Cats and humans have cohabitated for thousands of years.  They kill rodents
which we have no natural means to catch, and which otherwise destroy our
grain storage (necessary for farm-based human cultures). 

It IS the natural order of things on this planet for cats to kill lizards and
birds and cockroaches and such.  Cats are natural.  People are natural and a
part of the ecology too.

When termites destroy a tree or a house, are they being unnatural?  They're
doing what they do.  When people defend a house from termites, are they being
unnatural?

Sandra Dodd
______________________________
http://expage.com/RadicalUnschooling
______________________________
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Lynda

Unfortunately, or fortunately (depending on how you look at it), rodents are
quite a bit like cockroaches and flies, they become immune to lots of the
poisons after a generation or two. We will never run out of mice and rats.

Lynda
----- Original Message -----
From: <louisaem@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 6:59 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism


> In a message dated 3/31/01 2:24:44 PM Pacific Standard Time,
> collettemattingly@... writes:
>
> << The mice and squirrels provide food for the few fox that happen to be
left
> in my area.-Collette >>
>
> With this society's dependence on poisons I doubt rodents will ever have
the
> chance to over populate.
>
> Kris
>
>
> Message boards, timely articles, a free newsletter and more!
> Check it all out at: http://www.unschooling.com
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>
>

Collette Mattingly

It's not a matter of thinking of death but of respecting life and living a life I find peaceful and balanced. No I don't want my children or my children's children to die prematurely and that is why I live healthfully and with minimal impact to the earth.  I want them to have a clean, peaceful world to live in and that can only happen if I take responsibility for my lifestyle. I don't want my children to grow up afraid of life and I also don't want them being socially unconscious. - Collette
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2001 3:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism


In a message dated 4/1/01 1:09:52 PM, phoenix@... writes:

<< There is nothing in nature anymore that is balancing the overpopulation of
humans, that is why I DON"T THINK we are part of nature anymore. >>

Would the best thing be for none of us to have kids then?

The arguments that come up are if those who are educated and concerned enough
to fix the problems do NOT reproduce, the world will be overrun by people who
don't know or care.

There have been plagues in the lifetimes of our grandparents, in the 20th
century.  Smallpox, influenza, polio, rheumatic fever.  

If people see the ice age coming (or receding), they could well think the
whole world will freeze or the whole world will be flooded.  Neither happens.
It's a cycle.

If there are too many people, just wait. 
I hope I'm gone by the time half the people in the country die of something,
but in the meantime, I don't want bubonic plague in my house; rather have
cats.  And I will feel AWFUL about the idea of my children possibly seeing
THEIR children die in their arms.

But what place and time have not had death? 

We can't change death.  But we can ruin life by thinking about death every
single day.

Sandra



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[email protected]

In a message dated 3/31/01 12:45:58 PM, arabhorses_rock@... writes:

<< But when I
>switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products,
>either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live
>with animals, unsanitary also. >>

People have lived with or near dogs since prehistoric times--it's a symbiotic
relationship. They hear and smell much better than we do and can bite to
take down other animals; we see much better and use tools. They eat
by-products of the meat that humans (most of them, all known cave men did)
eat--they can eat bones and skin.

Cats and humans have cohabitated for thousands of years. They kill rodents
which we have no natural means to catch, and which otherwise destroy our
grain storage (necessary for farm-based human cultures).

It IS the natural order of things on this planet for cats to kill lizards and
birds and cockroaches and such. Cats are natural. People are natural and a
part of the ecology too.

When termites destroy a tree or a house, are they being unnatural? They're
doing what they do. When people defend a house from termites, are they being
unnatural?

Sandra Dodd
______________________________
http://expage.com/RadicalUnschooling
______________________________
______________________________

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/31/01 4:25:50 PM, collettemattingly@... writes:

<< As for the environment, cats are not part of the natural environment in my
area, maybe a mountain lion once upon a time. >>

If you're where mountain lions were, were there not also lynxes and bobcats?

Where people store food, rodents will step up production of rodents.

Sandra

[email protected]

On Sat, 31 Mar 2001 23:05:49 -0500
"Collette Mattingly" <collettemattingly@...> wrote:

> y bloody humans. Humans on this earth are TO ME like the super-microbes th=
> at keep getting stronger everytime we try and kill them with a new antibiot=
> ic. There is nothing in nature anymore that is balancing the overpopulatio=
> n of humans, that is why I DON"T THINK we are part of nature anymore.-Colle=

Well, AIDS may do a good number on Africa pretty soon. Some of the infection
numbers are frightening -- 1/3 of the population, especially of productive
age, lots of orphans.

Western population is stable or declining, sans immigration, so overpopulation
doesn't seem such an urgent issue there. However overpopulation is defined.

-xx- Damien X-)

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/1/01 1:09:52 PM, phoenix@... writes:

<< There is nothing in nature anymore that is balancing the overpopulation of
humans, that is why I DON"T THINK we are part of nature anymore. >>

Would the best thing be for none of us to have kids then?

The arguments that come up are if those who are educated and concerned enough
to fix the problems do NOT reproduce, the world will be overrun by people who
don't know or care.

There have been plagues in the lifetimes of our grandparents, in the 20th
century. Smallpox, influenza, polio, rheumatic fever.

If people see the ice age coming (or receding), they could well think the
whole world will freeze or the whole world will be flooded. Neither happens.
It's a cycle.

If there are too many people, just wait.
I hope I'm gone by the time half the people in the country die of something,
but in the meantime, I don't want bubonic plague in my house; rather have
cats. And I will feel AWFUL about the idea of my children possibly seeing
THEIR children die in their arms.

But what place and time have not had death?

We can't change death. But we can ruin life by thinking about death every
single day.

Sandra

Erin M

>In a message dated 3/31/01 12:45:58 PM, arabhorses_rock@... writes:
Umm, I didn't say that. I can't remember who said it exactly, but I was
asking that person questions. I have the world's cutest, sweetest, craziest,
most energetic, Jack Russell terrier puppy on earth living with me. Lucy is
my playmate all day and she sleeps curled up next to me all night.
><< But when I
> >switched from vegetarian to vegan (we don't wear any animal products,
> >either, wool, silk, etc.) it suddenly seemed very strange to me to live
> >with animals, unsanitary also. >>
>
>People have lived with or near dogs since prehistoric times--it's a
>symbiotic
>relationship. They hear and smell much better than we do and can bite to
>take down other animals; we see much better and use tools. They eat
>by-products of the meat that humans (most of them, all known cave men did)
>eat--they can eat bones and skin.
>
>Cats and humans have cohabitated for thousands of years. They kill rodents
>which we have no natural means to catch, and which otherwise destroy our
>grain storage (necessary for farm-based human cultures).
>
>It IS the natural order of things on this planet for cats to kill lizards
>and
>birds and cockroaches and such. Cats are natural. People are natural and
>a
>part of the ecology too.
>
>When termites destroy a tree or a house, are they being unnatural? They're
>doing what they do. When people defend a house from termites, are they
>being
>unnatural?
>
> Sandra Dodd
>______________________________
>http://expage.com/RadicalUnschooling
>______________________________
>______________________________
>
>

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

Erin M

>In a message dated 3/31/01 4:25:50 PM, collettemattingly@... writes:
>
><< As for the environment, cats are not part of the natural environment in
>my
>area, maybe a mountain lion once upon a time. >>
>
>If you're where mountain lions were, were there not also lynxes and
>bobcats?
>
>Where people store food, rodents will step up production of rodents.
>
>Sandra

Amazing! I agree with you on something, Sandra.
;-)

-Erin

_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

[email protected]

In a message dated 3/31/01 4:25:50 PM, collettemattingly@... writes:

<< As for the environment, cats are not part of the natural environment in
my
area, maybe a mountain lion once upon a time. >> >>

Once upon a time when I lived in a rural area and still let my cats roam, one
of the two suddenly disappeared. Only one came home. The next morning I
looked outside just in time to see the biggest owl I've ever laid eyes on
(wing span of at least 5 feet) silently soar over the easement that the cats
usually played in. I knew what had happened to the other cat and it looked
as though the owl was back for seconds. The other cat didn't seem to play in
that easement anymore.

Kris

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/1/01 12:13:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
phoenix@... writes:

<< Well, AIDS may do a good number on Africa pretty soon. Some of the
infection
numbers are frightening -- 1/3 of the population, especially of productive
age, lots of orphans. >>

After doing some research into diseases like Mad Cow Disease I'm wondering
how long we might all be here. We're breeding and giving a foothold to some
sinister threats.

Kris

[email protected]

In a message dated 4/1/01 12:38:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
SandraDodd@... writes:

<< We can't change death. But we can ruin life by thinking about death every
single day. >>

Okay, gonna put that on my monitor. My best friend tells me, all the time,
to stop thinking so much. If only I could find a balance between awareness
and ignorant bliss.

Kris

Collette Mattingly

Bobbie, I think it is better to think too much than not at all.  There are too many people that walk around with their heads up their you-know-whats so we have to do the thinking for them. I do think a lot but I don't worry...I take action. -Collette
----- Original Message -----
From: Bobbie
Sent: Monday, April 02, 2001 9:37 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism

ah!
to have someone speak/type your actual thoughts as
though they are writing in your name is a very wierd
thing. I was just up allll night (as in 4:30am) last
night with my boyfriend cuz we had a deep discussion
about something and he was done when the discussion
was done and I was getting soooo frustrated cuz I
can't just do that. I there is no such thing as
absolute closure for me when it comes to thinking and
worrying and a forboding feeling and that quote from
Sandra is just what I needed. I'm painting it huge and
hanging on my wall.
Me and my sister are always complaining that we DON'T
want to be like other people we know that just stroll
along thinking everyhting grand and NEVER think or be
concerned with anything, are just happy to be
disillusioned with rose colored glasses, (ok,
sometimes we do..heeh, but it is actually physically
impossible for us)  but we take it to the other
extreme and can't shut it off.
It's truly a problem for me, moreso lately, it seems.
I know there was a point in my life where I felt
content I had come pretty close to finding that
balance, but who knows what happened. My dad was sick
for awhile and everyday was a worry that that would be
the day he died and then he did die and directly
following that was a good time for me mentally, cuz I
saw things clearly and realized, like Sandra said that
you can ruin what life you have right now by worrying
about when you'll die, but that is a hard attitude to
keep up when you have precious kids you love and want
to protect and it seems nowadays the amount of people
who were never abused in any way as a child are in the
minority...and parents are nonethewiser, so I am
constantly worried that I am missing something
important that is seriously damaging my kids somehow,
or that I am overlooking some serious health problem
and then one of us, or someone we love and are close
to will die suddenly, or ...or.... or...
I could go on and on. K, sorry to ramble on and on,
but it is actually really comforting to me to see
other people who ..well...think alot. :) and don't
fall asleep after counting three and saying the magic
word. I love it.
-Bobbie
--- louisaem@... wrote:
> In a message dated 4/1/01 12:38:06 PM Pacific
> Daylight Time,
> SandraDodd@... writes:
>
> << We can't change death.  But we can ruin life by
> thinking about death every
>  single day. >>
>
> Okay, gonna put that on my monitor.  My best friend
> tells me, all the time,
> to stop thinking so much.  If only I could find a
> balance between awareness
> and ignorant bliss.
>
> Kris
>


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Collette Mattingly

Well by once upon a time I didn't mean anywhere in the last few thousand years.  We do have predatory birds and fox that keep rodents in check.   I live in Maryland, pretty far away from any mountains.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
From: Erin M
Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2001 9:48 PM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] vegetarianism





>In a message dated 3/31/01 4:25:50 PM, collettemattingly@... writes:
>
><< As for the environment, cats are not part of the natural environment in
>my
>area, maybe a mountain lion once upon a time. >>
>
>If you're where mountain lions were, were there not also lynxes and
>bobcats?
>
>Where people store food, rodents will step up production of rodents.
>
>Sandra

Amazing! I agree with you on something, Sandra.
;-)

-Erin

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Collette Mattingly

Bobbie, Try Yoga.-Collette
----- Original Message -----
From: Bobbie
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 1:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] long winded worriers unite!

I agree about the better-than-not-thinking thing.
Taking action is good.
But my problem is not to worry about things that I CAN
take action on. Those things I just do.
My *disease* (I'm determined there must be a medical
name for it...or I'll make one up) concerns a constant
vague worry ...about things totally out of my control.
Unexpected deaths, sicknesses, hidden abuse of any
sort, what would happen if the sky really did fall one
day and only 5 people could fit under the big umbrella
tree in the neighbors yard...how do I pick the 5 lucky
people?....Growing an organic garden only to find out
it's infested with tiny little gnomes and elves from
mars or jupiter that carry mutated forms of hanta
virus AND other diseases that my kids catch whilst
they dig in the dirt like the wild childs they are
while the neighbors look in and see the mud from head
to toe in our less than tidy backyard and report me
for neglect and becuz I have done what I believe is
right and non vaccinated them, they die from the mars
disease and I have to have bozo the doc say I told you
so and on the way to the funeral we get in a car
accident and I'm disfigured, or someone I love is and
then people around me are sad and someone else in NYC
probably just became a depressed lost homeless person
today, and somewhere there is a poor abused woman
sitting in her house sneaking on the computer to try
and plot an escape that she'll never make cuz she just
doesn't have that strength in her right now and how
can I reach her to help her and still take care of
everything else at the same time, what with comets
heading for earth and what not.....
stupid things like that, that most likely will not
happen, (duh) and I can do my little part to prevent
them, and it's all good, ...but it doesn't stop there
with just the worrying. My imagination is constantly
going. I am always keeping up with so many
stories...with no significance except that they are my
characters and I watch them, but there is no worrying,
just like a constant feed of excerpts from books and
movies and lives all the time, and I love it to death,
that is where my writing comes from and without
effort...but I fail when it comes to that part where
you TURN IT OFF and say ok, whew,I got some good
thinking done there. good job bobbie, now I feel much
better. Goodnight. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....
this doesn't happen...I fall asleep in the middle of
my thoughts cuz I finally bore myself to sleep...or my
conscious mind just can't keep up with the rest of it
any longer and says see ya I'm going to bed, ya
wierdo.

hm....well, that tangent took off in quite a different
direction than I thought it would. la la la...
"Hi, I'm bobbie and I'm a chronic rambler of tangents
of no consequence or topic whatsoever."

BTW=---to anyone STILL reading this craziness (whoever
you are ---what is wrong with you? why are you still
here reading this?) ---the above was an extreme
exaggeration of what I worry/think about...my stories
(in the thinking not worrying department) are somewhat
personal, and sometimes involve me...they're like
daydreams, only I don't control them...so I didn't
share them....and thought the humor was best brought
out by drawing on how ridiculous the extent I worry
about the people around me is....so please don't worry
yourselves that I am really actually a raving lunatic
(well, you know, I am, but just don't concern
yourselves with it anyway)...I just don't get much
sleep and besides that when I start TYPING about
THINKING then it is a double whammy. sheesh.
shut me up now.

--- Collette Mattingly <collettemattingly@...>
wrote:
> Bobbie, I think it is better to think too much than
> not at all.  There are too many people that walk
> around with their heads up their you-know-whats so
> we have to do the thinking for them. I do think a
> lot but I don't worry...I take action. -Collette


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Bobbie

ah!
to have someone speak/type your actual thoughts as
though they are writing in your name is a very wierd
thing. I was just up allll night (as in 4:30am) last
night with my boyfriend cuz we had a deep discussion
about something and he was done when the discussion
was done and I was getting soooo frustrated cuz I
can't just do that. I there is no such thing as
absolute closure for me when it comes to thinking and
worrying and a forboding feeling and that quote from
Sandra is just what I needed. I'm painting it huge and
hanging on my wall.
Me and my sister are always complaining that we DON'T
want to be like other people we know that just stroll
along thinking everyhting grand and NEVER think or be
concerned with anything, are just happy to be
disillusioned with rose colored glasses, (ok,
sometimes we do..heeh, but it is actually physically
impossible for us) but we take it to the other
extreme and can't shut it off.
It's truly a problem for me, moreso lately, it seems.
I know there was a point in my life where I felt
content I had come pretty close to finding that
balance, but who knows what happened. My dad was sick
for awhile and everyday was a worry that that would be
the day he died and then he did die and directly
following that was a good time for me mentally, cuz I
saw things clearly and realized, like Sandra said that
you can ruin what life you have right now by worrying
about when you'll die, but that is a hard attitude to
keep up when you have precious kids you love and want
to protect and it seems nowadays the amount of people
who were never abused in any way as a child are in the
minority...and parents are nonethewiser, so I am
constantly worried that I am missing something
important that is seriously damaging my kids somehow,
or that I am overlooking some serious health problem
and then one of us, or someone we love and are close
to will die suddenly, or ...or.... or...
I could go on and on. K, sorry to ramble on and on,
but it is actually really comforting to me to see
other people who ..well...think alot. :) and don't
fall asleep after counting three and saying the magic
word. I love it.
-Bobbie
--- louisaem@... wrote:
> In a message dated 4/1/01 12:38:06 PM Pacific
> Daylight Time,
> SandraDodd@... writes:
>
> << We can't change death. But we can ruin life by
> thinking about death every
> single day. >>
>
> Okay, gonna put that on my monitor. My best friend
> tells me, all the time,
> to stop thinking so much. If only I could find a
> balance between awareness
> and ignorant bliss.
>
> Kris
>


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Tracy Oldfield

It's truly a problem for me, moreso lately, it seems.
I know there was a point in my life where I felt
content I had come pretty close to finding that
balance, but who knows what happened. My dad was sick
for awhile and everyday was a worry that that would be
the day he died and then he did die and directly
following that was a good time for me mentally, cuz I
saw things clearly and realized, like Sandra said that
you can ruin what life you have right now by worrying
about when you'll die, but that is a hard attitude to
keep up when you have precious kids you love and want
to protect and it seems nowadays the amount of people
who were never abused in any way as a child are in the
minority...and parents are nonethewiser, so I am
constantly worried that I am missing something
important that is seriously damaging my kids somehow,
or that I am overlooking some serious health problem
and then one of us, or someone we love and are close
to will die suddenly, or ...or.... or... 
I could go on and on. K, sorry to ramble on and on,
but it is actually really comforting to me to see
other people who ..well...think alot. :) and don't
fall asleep after counting three and saying the magic
word. I love it. 
-Bobbie

You know, I hadn't thought much about this thread until
you posted this, Bobbie, but now I get it! I am like
this! especially with the kinder... like today I find
this great big scratch down the screen here and I sit
and wonder what I'm doing wrong that my child would
feel the need to do this. Is that crazy? I spend
quite a lot of time wondering what I'd do if dh
suddenly died, basically cos he works from home and I
have no idea where he's at with any of the business
stuff and I have no idea where we are at financially
too. I wonder sometimes if the deep thought stuff is
down to a basic lack of control of some major part of
life. For me it's definitely money.

Yes it's definitely a relief to know that there are
other morbid people out there!!

Tracy

Bobbie

I agree about the better-than-not-thinking thing.
Taking action is good.
But my problem is not to worry about things that I CAN
take action on. Those things I just do.
My *disease* (I'm determined there must be a medical
name for it...or I'll make one up) concerns a constant
vague worry ...about things totally out of my control.
Unexpected deaths, sicknesses, hidden abuse of any
sort, what would happen if the sky really did fall one
day and only 5 people could fit under the big umbrella
tree in the neighbors yard...how do I pick the 5 lucky
people?....Growing an organic garden only to find out
it's infested with tiny little gnomes and elves from
mars or jupiter that carry mutated forms of hanta
virus AND other diseases that my kids catch whilst
they dig in the dirt like the wild childs they are
while the neighbors look in and see the mud from head
to toe in our less than tidy backyard and report me
for neglect and becuz I have done what I believe is
right and non vaccinated them, they die from the mars
disease and I have to have bozo the doc say I told you
so and on the way to the funeral we get in a car
accident and I'm disfigured, or someone I love is and
then people around me are sad and someone else in NYC
probably just became a depressed lost homeless person
today, and somewhere there is a poor abused woman
sitting in her house sneaking on the computer to try
and plot an escape that she'll never make cuz she just
doesn't have that strength in her right now and how
can I reach her to help her and still take care of
everything else at the same time, what with comets
heading for earth and what not.....
stupid things like that, that most likely will not
happen, (duh) and I can do my little part to prevent
them, and it's all good, ...but it doesn't stop there
with just the worrying. My imagination is constantly
going. I am always keeping up with so many
stories...with no significance except that they are my
characters and I watch them, but there is no worrying,
just like a constant feed of excerpts from books and
movies and lives all the time, and I love it to death,
that is where my writing comes from and without
effort...but I fail when it comes to that part where
you TURN IT OFF and say ok, whew,I got some good
thinking done there. good job bobbie, now I feel much
better. Goodnight. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....
this doesn't happen...I fall asleep in the middle of
my thoughts cuz I finally bore myself to sleep...or my
conscious mind just can't keep up with the rest of it
any longer and says see ya I'm going to bed, ya
wierdo.

hm....well, that tangent took off in quite a different
direction than I thought it would. la la la...
"Hi, I'm bobbie and I'm a chronic rambler of tangents
of no consequence or topic whatsoever."

BTW=---to anyone STILL reading this craziness (whoever
you are ---what is wrong with you? why are you still
here reading this?) ---the above was an extreme
exaggeration of what I worry/think about...my stories
(in the thinking not worrying department) are somewhat
personal, and sometimes involve me...they're like
daydreams, only I don't control them...so I didn't
share them....and thought the humor was best brought
out by drawing on how ridiculous the extent I worry
about the people around me is....so please don't worry
yourselves that I am really actually a raving lunatic
(well, you know, I am, but just don't concern
yourselves with it anyway)...I just don't get much
sleep and besides that when I start TYPING about
THINKING then it is a double whammy. sheesh.
shut me up now.

--- Collette Mattingly <collettemattingly@...>
wrote:
> Bobbie, I think it is better to think too much than
> not at all. There are too many people that walk
> around with their heads up their you-know-whats so
> we have to do the thinking for them. I do think a
> lot but I don't worry...I take action. -Collette


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Carrie DeFrancisco

Good Lord, Bobbie. And can you talk that fast too? And I thought I was
long winded. After reading your post (and yes, I did read the whole
thing and chuckled when you asked who in their right mind would still be
reading this) I am going to bed (well, I will put my weary little head
on my pillow and try not to think too much, especially about some
martians and an ET virus or something like that.)
Good night, All.
Caroline in LA

Bobbie

LOL
yup, I can talk that fast too. But I usually don't.
With typing I can go back and erase really quick when
I say jsut instead of just or busty instead of busy or
when I stutter. In talking I'm just more confusing. So
I try to keep that to myself, unless you really know
me well and are already used to it, you would think I
was a really quiet, withdrawn person of some sort who
keeps their opinions to themselves...ok, not that last
part. but the quiet part anyway. (my family would
LAUGH though if they heard someone say "bobbie's kind
of quiet, she doesn't talk much, does she?")
-Bobbie
who can't believe you actually read that whole thing.
curiousity killed the cat you know. :)
(was that in bad taste, in light of the recent
conversations about cats? sorry if it was.)

--- Carrie DeFrancisco <cdefrancisco@...>
wrote:
> Good Lord, Bobbie. And can you talk that fast too?
> And I thought I was
> long winded. After reading your post (and yes, I
> did read the whole
> thing and chuckled when you asked who in their right
> mind would still be
> reading this) I am going to bed (well, I will put my
> weary little head
> on my pillow and try not to think too much,
> especially about some
> martians and an ET virus or something like that.)
> Good night, All.
> Caroline in LA
>
>


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Vicki A. Dennis

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bobbie" <insomniaaks@...>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 12:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Unschooling-dotcom] long winded worriers unite!


> My *disease* (I'm determined there must be a medical
> name for it...or I'll make one up)

lolol. I think the customary name is "anxiety". And *I* am an
expert............although I will admit after reading to the very end of your
post that you are indeed quite competent in the area.

Vicki----may need to think about sharing my queen of worry crown with y ou.

> BTW=---to anyone STILL reading this craziness (whoever
> you are ---what is wrong with you? why are you still
> here reading this?)

Trying to decide if I should sue you for infringing on my thoughts and stories
that i somehow forgot to copyright :-)