STUCKINARUT- Great thread, thanks for posting - and thanks for asking !
Like Desirous of Change and his wife- I feel a whole lot better on Saturday & Sunday mornings these last 15 years that I've been out of the JW cult. I have a lot more time to pursue interests and hobbies like writing songs, playing guitar, Mrs. Flipper and I have a great kick ass vegetable garden growing, about 1200 sq.ft garden with tomatoes, squash, potatoes, blueberries, raspberries, peppers, basil, green beans, peach tree, artichokes, plum tree, and pear tree. Plus lots of cool flowers and herbs. We really enjoy it.
As a person I've grown in that I have a much better sense of self now. My self esteem has risen very much since not being browbeaten with how " sinful " I'm supposed to feel all the time ! lol. I actually don't ever have any feelings of guilt anymore and I've lost quite a bit of the fear I used to have as a JW. Nothing much scares me anymore. I can stand up to anybody at any level and show respect , and if I don't get that back in return, well- that's THEIR problem not mine.
I don't waste my time on fruitless relationships anymore that bring psychological vampires into my life who only have selfish interests at heart and not my interests at heart. The quality of my friendships has blossomed and the true friends I have now- they know that I care as much about them as they do for me. I never had those equal types of friendships in the JW cult, friendships were always conditional on me performing WT functions. When we stop doing WT functions, we lose all the fake friends we had ! lol.
Life is a beautiful journey, and I've learned to stop and smell every rose along the way while on that journey ! HI have a lovely wife, a fantastic son & daughter in law that I'm close to , and life is wonderful in the big picture. Of course I miss my JW daughters and it hurts they shun me and are still in the cult, but hope burns eternal that it will change someday. Take care, Peace out. Mr. Flipper