Have they tried holding down the handle until it’s done flushing?

I use it too. Tried a few different ones and like boost the best. I finally just paid for the non-ad tier. One time cost of 3.99. I would have been turned off by a subscription.

That’s fair. I think we agree that it’s important to emphasize proficiency and responsibility. It needs to be explicit. Otherwise, it just plays into media extremism.

I won’t rule out your point. It’s good to be pragmatic. But I do know that fear isn’t a good leader. I’ll continue with my therapy. It does help. I recommend it to everyone.

I thought the same thing at first lol. Like, woah woah woah.

This is a more compassionate approach. The idea of all or nothing puts a lot of pressure on someone when they’re trying to change. The flip side is that many people can’t moderate and any amount of substance can make them spiral, but start with something that helps them feel the encouragement of others even if they falter from their goals.

The path to sobriety isn’t cut and dry, and this approach will help reduce the shame that’s often felt along the way. Shame can lead people right back into the same patterns that got them where they are. The dehumanizing stigmas don’t go unseen by the people they’re applied to. Those stigmas become internalized and self deprecating in a very hurtful way. We’re our own worst enemies.

Hey, hey. This comes from a place of fear and that’s okay, but recognize it for what it is. Buying guns in fear is what gets people hurt. If you choose to buy a gun for the first time, take proficiency courses. Learn the legal responsibilities that come with it. If you’re genuinely concerned, protect yourself in a responsible way. That may or may not be with a firearm. There are many ways to protect yourself. Take martial arts classes for instance.

This may seem like a wild suggestion, but try therapy. It did wonders for my anxiety. Seriously. I don’t worry as much. I don’t live in fear. I have friends ALL across the political spectrum. We get along fine. We treat each other with love and respect. The news and media drums up fear and excitement for attention. It’s what sells ads.

No life is without pain. We may have fundamental differences in how we view inhumanity, and while I’m sure neither of us want anything to suffer, it’s the end of life that we may disagree. Death doesn’t have to be inhumane or painful though.

That’s 2-3x longer than cows raised for meat from what I understand. That may sound inhumane either way depending on your perspective, but doesn’t mean that they’re treated poorly while alive.

Some places are. I looked around until I found a community care clinic for people who don’t have insurance. It’s free. The university near me also offers free/low cost therapy. Years ago before we were married, my wife and I found couples counseling from an intern who was gaining experience at no cost to us.

I know everyone doesn’t have the same resources, but just wanted to point out that if someone gives up because they assume it’s expensive, they may not find the affordable options available to them.

I haven’t read through comments yet so I may be redundant.

Hey… So sorry. Pets are a personal relationship. That loss is a grief just like any other. It’s hard because others don’t have the relationship to that individual that you have.

Grief is something you carry through life. It isn’t linear, but it does get easier. Grief will come in waves. You’ll be fine and then it hits you out of the blue.

Do we just live and suffer and die? Well, yeah. But we also love, and get excited, and feel, learn new things, explore. We fall in love; we experienced heartbreak. We have moments when we notice the light coming through the leaves in the forest, or the sound of water on rocks in a creek, an interaction between a grandparent and young child, the smell of a newborn’s head, that first time a cat settles in your lap, coffee when no one else is awake, the first sign of success in a new hobby, I could go on and on. So many things. Observations that have a visceral yet intangible emotional reaction. So so many things.

Let grief make you tender. Let grief remind you that everyone will deal with it in different ways. You can connect to others through vulnerability. Don’t let it make you hard or resentful; there’s so much beauty and love in the world. There’s so much love in the personal relationship with a pet. There is love you can’t describe.

Engage with the grief. Don’t bottle or avoid it. Feel it. You’re grieving because of the depth and complexity of the relationship. That’s totally okay. That’s healthy. It’s gonna hurt. It hurts.

I’m so sorry you’re feeling this right now. Take your time and feel it. Don’t feel like you ever have to let that go. That’s life.

Live, suffer, and die? Yeah, you could say that, but it’s in the most beautiful way, and there’s so much in between.

Thanks PipedLinkBot!

Is it good?? While that may depend on your buzz, take the word of two remarkable chefs, Sean Brock and Anthony Bourdain: https://youtu.be/qEpXeTDwbk8

To remember that we’ve spent almost 18 years together and that we’re best friends. That we’ve carried each other and comforted each other through so much.

There was that time I had to climb fifty feet up a tree with hardly any limbs with ropes and a harness to get him when the crows goaded him into climbing higher. The rusty antique farm equipment below would have mangled him had he fallen. I had to lift him with one hand, balanced, hoping he would roll out of my grip, and put him in a cinch top bag with a rope attached to lower him to my wife on the ground. Once he reached her hands, I broke down and sobbed while I made my way to them. I was so scared. I woke up the next day and he was curled up around my hand, holding tightly. He didn’t want to go outside for months.

He pees on me regularly now. Sometimes when I come home with my hands full and can’t give him attention immediately. Sometimes when I’ve been home all day and he didn’t get a snack fast enough. Maybe his kitten baby sister is trying to play with him or he’s stuck on the other side of the door while I’m brushing my teeth. He has hyperthyroidism and kidney disease. We give him everything, do the best we can for his health care, but it’s getting close to the time we say goodbye and it’s breaking my heart.

I just wish he’d remember me the way I remember him.

I lifted him onto my lap yesterday morning, out of the reach of his gentle but playful six month old kitten sister. He peed all down the front of me. I didn’t scold; I just held him until he was done, knowing the last time I hold him isn’t far away.

It just looks ridiculous, doesn’t it? Who would take them seriously?

It doesn’t have to be strict. Some people make too big of a deal out of it. Most of us are used to eating in certain combinations anyways and our bodies have adjusted. One small example that you’ve probably heard, turmeric’s beneficial components are more bioavailable when eaten with black pepper. The body digests foods in varying ideal circumstances depending on what it is. Ultimately, you’ll probably be just fine eating a varied diet, but there are combinations that are better or worse for nutrient uptake, gastric comfort, blood sugar spikes, etc.

Poor food combinations can give you gas/bloating, indigestion, fatigue. Good food combinations work together and can help with the uptake of certain nutrients.

Don’t you think mental health is stigmatized enough without using it to make fun of people you don’t understand?

Look up books and info on food combining. Some foods interfere with the digestion of other foods while some help, as you probably know.

I just told my wife Mint was shutting down and she gasped, frozen in shock. I was thinking she was taking it really hard. Took me a minute before I realized she thought I was talking about our favorite Indian restaurant.

Trickle down economics trickling down something