:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D ;D ;D ;D ;D


MOVE OVER, Shpielberg, there's a new sound effects master in town...

Dov, I always knew you ROCKED.

Now I know you BRICK, too!!

Thanx, pal. I really needed that. LET'S MOVE ON!!!....

Dovish is one thing


But in order to learn steveish I think ill need the rosetta stone course

B

Man!!!!

I think it's something about the veterans....
It's like they have a veteran language all unto themselves...
: : :

Call it Dovish, Stevish, Or Bardish....

It is one of my life's goals to at some point be able to tell my children that I have mastered these languages....

I will then pass it on to them... for future generations to come....
The best way to ensure this is to talk to them, converse with them, read to them, and coo them in Dovish/Stevish/Bardish...
this will have them on a better footing to acquire this great language for life......
:D :D

bardichev wrote on 22 Apr 2010 05:01:


No, what you need is the:

"Evelyn Woodhead Sped Reddin Course."

It....in...creeses....com...pren...tion....w..o..n..d..e..r..fully....

Now, if ANY OF YOU know that reference, you better get to DEEP THERAPY FAST, or we'll lock you in the trunk!!

Oh, Hashem, please forgive me for my past... Ani Mazkir Chatasi Hayom...

Tried-123 wrote on 22 Apr 2010 10:27:


It's easy to learn...

Easy as 1-2-3...!!!  ;D

Gmorning EVERYBODY!!

Hope today stays as bright for you as it's dawn!

I'm having a hard time tho - I FINALLY accepted that I have this Lust Allergy, and I'm working steady to avoid exposing myself to the allergen.

But then, WHAMMO!!! Hashem gives me AIRBORNE ALLERGIES to whatever little particles can get up my nose. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

Now i know how Noya and all you other sufferers feel. I'm truly sorry for not being sympathetic before. Hashem is helping me to do that, now.

Prob is, i come from a line of VERY LOUD and STRONG SNEEZERS.

Soooooo, if anybody wants a cheap skylight, invite me over before the season's finished.

BTW, in case you didn't see it, here's a vort from our special chaver Yechiel, that he mentioned on the DC call this week:

Today our Rebbe, Reb Duvid Chaim, was discussing the Middos of Rachamim (Attributes of Mercy). The sixth attribute of the thirteen is Erech Apayim, which refers to God's endless patience with us. It might be possible that Erech Apayim corresponds to the sixth of the Seven Middos through which God runs the world (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferes etc), which is Yesod. Yesod refers to shmiras habris, moral purity, which is our addiction. This teaches us that Hashem's patience is especially applicable to those of us who are engaged in working on Midas Hayesod, the struggle to establish and solidify the foundations of our lives and our Yiddishkeit. He knows how difficult it is and has all the patience in the world (after all, he created patience!) as he waits for us to get it right by fully turning to Him and letting go and letting God.

Thanks Yechiel. For me, that was really a very uplifting vort, And if you'd know how difficult it is to lift me up (gravitationally speaking), you'd be more impressed!!!

HAVE a GREAT SHABBOS everyone!!

Ok, gang, just poppin my pickled face over here to say Shabbos was good, BH. Trying hard to connect with Hashem, and trying even harder to forgive myself when I step back from my Shemoneh Esrai and decry another lost opportunity cuz my head was swimmin elsewhere....

One of my most deepest tefillos was a moetsoi Purim, semi inebriated, first time without a siddur so I had to try to say it baal peh and succeeded wonderfully! But I don't think it's safe to try to drink that much before every tefilla....

I think my BEST tefilla of my life, which wasn't even a Shemoneh Esrei, was 12 minutes I had at Kever Rochel (they warned us to get back to the bus in time). I don't know how it happened, i think it was the Kedushas HaMakom, but you can take the 10 greatest Neillos of my life, add them together, and they won't come close to those 12 minutes. I cried to the Mama I never really had, and all my pain as a mixed up perverted golus jew came pouring out, I cried from the depth of my soul, the klippos were ripped off of me for 12 minutes, my shirt was drenched in sweat and tears, as I begged her to beseech Hashem for myself, my family, and our people.

May the Ribbono Shel Olam replay those precious tefillos for me, and may He have the video tape handy every time I offer a senseless prayer, to remind Him that this son of His loves Him and wants to be close again, if I could only concentrate again...

Steve wrote on 25 Apr 2010 21:02:


Hope you don't take yourself too seriously with that...

There is no such thing as a senseless prayer.....
The words have their own power even without any concentration....

Besides... R' Dessler writes somewhere (gotta look it up again...) that the mere  fact that one stands and recites the Shemone Esreh... Is in of itself a display of Emuna... Even if he had no concentration.....

We gotta simply try to do the best we can... and G-d loves us for that... (I suppose)

Tried-123 wrote on 26 Apr 2010 01:19:


I don't suppose. I believe, better yet, I know!!!

Okeedokee, it's honesety and confession time:

I'm going to share some insiders talk, which is more understood if you're following the 12-Step program. Columns refer to parts of some spreadsheets we're working on for the 4th Step, to put the RID (causes or FUEL for our Lust Urge) into a perspective, so we can eventually get past it. I put this out in the hope that it will help wherever it can, but also to admit my mistakes in public. believe me, no EGO boosting effects there, 4sure.

Quoting today's reading from the BIG BOOK on the DC Call: "Some of us had great self-confidence, but it didn't fully solve the fear problem [a BIG part of RID], or any other. When it [self-reliance] made us cocky, it was worse." Now THAT's an A&W mo if I ever heard one. Because the feeling that we've got this licked is all just the Menuval's Trick (hey, it rhymes!), especially for us veterans, 90-dayers, chizuk-givers and chaveirim. We can forget that it will ALWAYS have us licked, and is just setting us up for an ambush.

So I also have to admit: I've become a SLIP-A-HOLIC. The thrill of teetering on the edge, never falling all the way to P or M, but sneaking the peeks at the broads on the streets ('nother rhyme?) and the viral videos is happening way too often these days. I can't blame it on Spring weather of dress codes. i'm to blame fully - I let my RID get to me too much.

Dang Nabbit, it's time to peel away those stinky onion layers and uproot this RID from the core.

I have notes in my margins on these pages from the last cruise that I didn't get to share today, so I'll mention them now.

First, there is a connection between Fear and Resentment, so don't be surprised if you are finding overlaps: "Fear creates Jealousy, which produces Resentment." So Jealousy might be a good item for us to add to our 4th column (if you feel it belongs there).

Second, we might lose focus when we concentrate on the Resentments and Fears, and just fill in the 4th column willy-nilly, or without deep probing. Na - ah, we'll be missing an important point: "Resentment and Fear are NOT weaknesses, rather they are the OUTCOME of weaknesses, which are weaknesses of CHARACTER which I possess." Those character defects are listed in the 4th column, which we already mentioned could be expanded to include jealousy, need for approval, etc.

Hence the second understanding I have of that 4th column - It's NOT my part in the CAUSE that's listed, it's MY PART IN THE OUTCOME - what flaw do i have that is FORCING me according to my "present programming" to become resentful or fearful by a particular "stimulus." Cause if I find myself slipping or WANTING to fall, getting the urge, then I DANG WELL MUST be feeling the PAIN of Resentment and Fear. And DAMMIT, I wanna know WHY!!

I think DC's line today was VERY IMPORTANT, and Vet Michael's testimonial verified it. IF WE WANT THE MOST SUCCESS OUT OF THIS PROGRAM, WE MUST DO THIS STEP LIKE OUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT. becuz it does.

I think this is where i had a lacking on the last cruise. i never had the catharsis that Michael and Dov had in Steps 4/5, and I even resented it. I didn't really appreciate the intensity of digging deep enough to really understand and FEEL that 4th column.

But that was THEN, and THIS is NOW! THIS TIME, with Hashem's HELP, i'm going to go COURAGEOUSLY forward to where THIS man has NEVER GONE BEFORE.

And I'm praying that I'LL FIND YOU ALL THERE WITH ME ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MEMBRANE.

I really do Love this Chevra,

Steve

Steve have u been sippin some of rajas java??

B

bardichev wrote on 27 Apr 2010 02:58:


No, but I'm game for any new "substances" right now. As long as I don't "abuse" the privilege.

Sorry Bardy et al if it's esoteric for those not on our page in the 12-step program, but what can I do? It's "where my head's at" right now.

Major Goodness, that's the 12-steps, and Super Major Goodness is Duvid Chaim and how he pilots this cruise ship. But best of all, is the particular chevra we've got on this cruise right now. This is an amazing bunch of OVER 20 guys with such keen insight, so much relevant and inspiring sharing going on, and so much amazing personal growth which is there on the table for us all to see and learn from. I'm thanking the Aibeshter every day for giving me the zechus to be part of them, and to be taught by them all.

Daven for me a little, folks, I'll need extra siyata d'shomaya today. So far I'm quite "Riddy" (a nice phrase coined by my haver from the calls, Yechiel), and I have a BIG DAY of critical work that must be done today, which is hard to do when my brain is fogged.

OK, Hashem, it's You and Me against the world. Let's ROCK...

Oh, BTW, my good chaver ZalmanDovid started a thread based on the phrase I coined: "Slip-a-holic." I don't want anyone confused to think this is some kinda happy medium between full fledged lusting-out and being "normal". So in an effort to undermine that mistaken idea, I'm including my response from that thread, which includes a "bli-neder" pledge I'm trying to keep.


Steve wrote on 26 Apr 2010 22:37:

Yeah, that was my undoing last time around on the 90 day attempt. Too much slipping on ice, trying to have your kedusha and eat it too kinda thing. Steve, you're on top of the situation here. Time to pinpoint exactly what you need to watch out for and classify them as falls, thou shalt nots, just like Shabbos or Yontef because that's what it's gonna take.

Have a good night and hope to hear you tomorrow on the call!

Thanx Noya, and special thanx for your sharing your thoughts today on the call. You got me out of a real pickle.