Day 5:
Caught red-handed.

I have to post every day and uh, well, it's 2:20am. So... yes YouKnowWho - you got me - I just hope you did a modicum better and are already sleeping!!!

In other news, today was great. A big shoutout to Eerie for shmoozing with me about the stress of trying to figure out what to do with my life. A big shoutout to Foolie and ASY for helping me deal with loneliness over the day and for just being there.

Sweet dreams!

youknowwho wrote on 06 Dec 2023 05:59:

Regards from the zoo!

HeChochma wrote on 06 Dec 2023 20:41:

Cords, I don't understand. Maybe you can help me. These guys are afraid of ME???!!!

@eerie - I think you may earn your first Karma point from Cordnoy ever.

Day 6:
All was kosher v'yosher today - I slept away the afternoon in the zoo due to my tardiness going to sleep. But otherwise productive today b'h.

Nothing too stressful going on just the regulars - my son is sick, I'm exhausted, guys in Yeshiva are burnt out etc. B'H.

Otherwise life's doing great!!! And GYE rocks. I recently started going through other people's threads and older threads here - it's mind-boggling and fascinating to see one of these threads from start to finish - it's really breathtaking!

Day 7:
Seven makes a week.
A cycle. A start.

You know when you put something on the floor because you're worried it will fall and break? Well that's exactly where I was for the last four days - safely laying on my back slowly recovering from having the wind knocked out of me when I fell flat on my face.

But when I stood back up again today - I discovered that the battle is on like donkey kong! In keeping with TBOTG training - I am excited to be back in the ring and I'm going to bring my A-game! (Although not in keeping with TBOTG training I'm really a little scared and hesitant... but...) Fooey on you YH you're about to be KOed with a broken nose to show for it!!!)

Special nisyonos come along with being away for Shabbos Chanuka - an exciting opportunity to emerge victorious and claim the wonderful oros pnimiyos of Chanukah!

The part that will probably be harder than any other is keeping in touch - and when I don't keep touch disaster is not far off at all. As I type this it occurs to me - hey wait a minute you doofus why don't you do something about that?!

So I hereby am accepting upon myself bln to call one person in addition to HHM and to text another on Friday, MS, Sunday and Monday.

Ha! That was wild... The things you can accomplish by doing a daily post on GYE!

Also - if anyone is interested in getting in touch please PM me - I'm always looking to find more of the wonderful chevra here to shmooze with!

Ah freilichen lichtige tayire Chanuka!

Day 8:
L'maala min hateva!

Everything about GYE is l'maala min hateva!

So far so good bh - struggling to keep in touch even though I'm away - I have less space, less time and less of a schedule (my normal schedule involves driving which is built-in call-time). B'h managed to speak to HHM and IWLR (Thanks for calling!!!) still hoping to catch foolie before Shabbos!!!

Soak up the light brothers!!!

Caught

.

notezy wrote on 10 Dec 2023 05:56:

I'm trying to place a special emphasis on it for these few days and so far so good!

Day 9:
B'h Shabbos was good. Got back home pretty late but still managed to get through to HHM and Foolie. Thanks for shmoozing! And thanks to ChaimO for checking up on me even tho I didn't call erev shabbos!!! משלם טובה תחת רעה (in jest rabbosai - it's 1:30 am and that really seems funny at the mo)

Iyh looking forward to a ton (okay it's just 2 and a half) of Chanuka parties tomorrow that I will be very tired and probably not too interested - no, what, you also hate Chanuka parties! What a shock!!!

It's been a very unusually connected Yom Tov for me - even tho it's nowhere near what I would like it to be - but something about being on this journey earnestly, and being connected with friends and being connected to myself - opened up my heart just a crack. There's ray of light filtering in through that crack and I feel a little bit of the lev even crumbling to reveal the lev basar underneath.

The nes Chanuka was one of the only times that Hashem made a special nes in order for us to be able to do a mitzva.

Lav b'chal yuma israchesh nisa. But on GYE it does. Nissim every day in order that we could do his ratzon.

Stay holy brothers!!!

HeChochma wrote on 10 Dec 2023 06:39:

BAH HUMBUG!!


That crack is a doorway, my good friend. And that ray of golden light that is shining in, למטה מעשרה טפחים, is a gift that is charting a path forwards…
Here’s to the rest of the calloused shell of scar tissue coming off, bit by bit…
Yeah. We are connected. 
Keep in touch. And keep on climbing. You’re pulling us ever upwards! Ah Lichtegin! 

לחיים !!!

chaimoigen wrote on 10 Dec 2023 12:00:

halevai...

The assembled multitudes at the virtual Chanuka party are waiting, waiting for words of Chochma, like Shemen Zayis. That soothe and illuminate. 
Where are you, my friend? 

chaimoigen wrote on 11 Dec 2023 17:10:

First of all - soothe and illuminate - love it.
Secondly, for anyone who has not seen YouKnowWho's thread - ChaimO has been nominated to for the Dumbledore position.
In case you have any doubt - listen to this fine piece of uncanny foresight - just as ChaimO suspected - I was in trouble yesterday. I fell today.

The short story is Sunday was a disaster of a day during the middle of which my phone broke. I didn't get a new phone until this afternoon.

In the meantime everything I expected to suck (Read: Chanuka Parties) turned out to actually be worse than I expected. And everything that was supposed to go well (like the plans I invested quite a bit of time and money into) went pretty badly too.

This morning unfiltered internet UNkindly availed itself to me at an unexpected moment, I slipped. Still no phone - didn't call anyone. This afternoon I was Hungry. Angry, Lonely and Tired. Shortly thereafter I fell.

I screwed up royally by not using some other methods of reaching out. However, Thanks to ChaimO, Foolie and HHM this post is not a depression fest.

The takeaway is that in fact it is vitally important for me to stay in touch and post every day. This only reinforces that commitment and be'h this time around we will reach even greater heights!!

Finished patching this here tire and ready to get right back on TRUCKIN'!!!

Day 1:
Back on the horse ladies and gentlemen.

Street shemiras ainayim has been especially hard today with the residual lust still hanging out from my fall. I did get rid of some things that make it easier for me to fall so bh for that.

Good night everyone and ah freilichen Chanuka!

The ladder that ascends to the loftiest heights has Hashem Nitzav Alav. 
He is to be found where we are climbing. 

Though it may be difficult, a monstah truck can drive straight up a ladder (insert Gevura’s Avatar here)! 

kavsah ain zakuk lah. KIT and KOMT ! 

(Also: Make sure not to use that deluminator I gave you anywhere near the neiros….)