Your Solace?

VaughanJB

VaughanJB

Scrappy VIP
So, one thing about getting elderly is that you have all those years of missed opportunities, mistakes, and silliness to look back on! It can be quite the burden, to be honest. Instead of thinking about the good things, I always sway toward the bad. I guess it's all part of doing a full accounting.

Still, my solace is...... music. When I'm listening to music, I'm transported. I can go with it, and give myself over completely. If it's sad music, I'm sad, if it's happy I'm happy. I'm almost abstracted from like, riding a wave. I love my record collection.

Others will have their own little solace moment - something that takes your mind from the grim reality, or something that carries you when you need the help. For me it's listening to others make music, what's yours?
 

hollydolly said:
Me too...Music Numero Uno..... ever since I was a child... and a very close second to that is my photography. I am no David Bailey... but I'm very keen, and I just love it.. I don't think about another thing when I'm taking photos..except what I'm doing right there and then with the camera..
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Great to hear. I worked in a very competitive field, and I was very competitive myself. I was always in competition with someone else in my work, always reaching for the accolades. So I made a conscious decision, many many moons ago, not to learn how to play an instrument. I knew I'd be too competitive, that I'd simply have to be the best (not that I could be). But by deciding, no, I wouldn't learn how to play an instrument, I'd let others be better at that than I could ever be. No competition. No what if. Just enjoyment. Music is the purest form of giving myself up to the talents, ambition, and creativity of someone else. No judgement from me, no "I could do that better". I'm sooooo glad I made that decision.
 

Music.
Itā€™s my great escape and has been ever seen I was a child. I can drift off into another world on my own and give my mind a much needed break. In school , playing in bands gave me a valid reason to socialize without the need to drink and party. Music was a life saver for me.
 
HoneyNut said:
Snacks and a good book I guess I use if I need escape. I'm not fond of music and mostly listen to it only if I'm being nostalgic about something particular, or as a distraction while cleaning the kitchen.
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There are no right answers! I used to enjoy reading, but the vision in my right eye is fading, and it makes reading books a chore these days. My ears still seem to be (mostly) working. I don't fully know how music works, I just know it works for me. If reading is your thing - well, it's likely the same thing.
 
Oh yes, that looking back isn't easy.

I don't know what I do. I don't like too much nostalgia though I can still watch 80's movies. I did take some DVD sets to the PAWS thrift store recently. I just knew I'd never watch them again. Or if I did, it wouldn't be the same or good for me or something.

I like music. Still like a lot of 80's stuff. I prefer when driving listening to talk radio, even if I don't agree politically.

And the cats.
 
My solace: My children, grands and my dog (Flash); I am independent, self sufficient, active and able to live independently in the same house for 40 years despite being a diabetic for almost 60 years. (I am 79 years young!!)
 
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1. Yes, Music of course! Suddenly I'm a teenager in love (or a lost love).
2. The ABSOLUTE BLISS of sinking deep, deep into my soul with Transcendental Deep Meditation! It's beyond explanation!
3. Whenever I can, I go sit by a mountain stream and wade in it. Something magical about the sound, the scents, the moving water!
4. sculpting in clay for bronze. I lose all track of surroundings, linear time, everything, when I sculpt. It's just me and the clay.
 
Might sound sappy, but when my heart is heavy, when I can't stop thinking negative thoughts, when I feel on the losing end because life is cruel or systems are clearly unjust, I find solace in my wife's arms. Solace for me is affirmation, serenity, and encouragement, in that order. That's what I get from Michelle when I need it....and she usually knows when before I do.
 
A big solace for me is dance, ballet or contemporary, probably because it combines the other solace of music with the joy of expressive movement.
Other forms of solace are being with animals, being out in nature, reading. And one that may sound odd to some people...my imagination. What I mean is making up stories in my mind where I'm one of the characters. This is often when I'm lying in bed, not able to sleep. Or it can be something simple, like imagining myself riding a horse on a beach, sensing all the details. I've done this since I was a kid and used to write out some of the stories I'd imagine myself in.
 
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HoneyNut said:
Snacks and a good book I guess I use if I need escape. I'm not fond of music and mostly listen to it only if I'm being nostalgic about something particular, or as a distraction while cleaning the kitchen.
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of course.. my 3rd would be books... I don't know why I didn't mention them, because those are the three things I always say are the integral part of my everyday life...

I don't read book during the day now because they make me drowsy... but I always have my book ( and or kindle)... but mainly hardback books to read at night
 
Murrmurr said:
Might sound sappy, but when my heart is heavy, when I can't stop thinking negative thoughts, when I feel on the losing end because life is cruel or systems are clearly unjust, I find solace in my wife's arms. Solace for me is affirmation, serenity, and encouragement, in that order. That's what I get from Michelle when I need it....and she usually knows when before I do.
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ahhhhh., the sweet path of new love.. and early married days...:love:
 
I would have to agree with those who say their solace is music. It takes me to another place or time.

My second form of solace is travel - just me in my car going somewhere, seeing things I have never seen before. I like to wander.
 

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