I don't know that there's only one way. There are lots of ways to contribute. Do you do any volunteer work? Or advocate for any human rights causes? Or even just lend a helping hand when someone needs it?

@resserts - Helping hand I do a lot. Volunteering I have not. Human rights causes I should do.

@Nikonian I think it's entirely up to you how you contribute. In my case, my job takes up a lot of time and energy so I hadn't been too active in my community in recent years. But I decided I wouldn't ever have the time unless I made it a priority, so last fall I committed to training to be a volunteer mediator for the NYS unified court system. It's been a lot of work, and I'm still not certified with the state yet (three more co-mediations to go), but it's been a rewarding process and I expect to have many interesting cases in the coming months and years while helping people resolve their conflicts (e.g., magistrate cases, parental custody and visitation, child support).

Nothing to fear but fear itself.

@resserts and now I've got fear of fear by Bauhaus stuck in my head. LOL

I'm getting back on my feet as we speak, thank you.

My dear, you are an attractive and desirable woman.

@jlynn37 Okay. Thanks. I mentioned this in my bullying post.

Perhaps not silly or fun, but somewhat random. I suppose it could have been filed under health & happiness? Dunno. I didn't really care about the category so much as the topic itself.

The latter is a real thing. Not to get too soap boxy but a neighbor's mom was hit and killed by a car while walking her sheltie. They were not the best to that dog after her passing. Shelties bark, a LOT, they put a manual (not automatic stim which graduated settings) on her dog to control it, they zapped the dog all day before winding up taking it to the pound, her beloved dog.
This would not have happened if she'd had a contract , a right of first refusal from a good breeder to insure her dog would be returned safely and properly rehomed.

yes, it is, I love my dogs more than anything including myself, id rather they were put to sleep than go through a load of pain and hurt. it's the reason I've gone from 6 dogs to two dogs, to be honest. I still think dying a long slow death is a very real thing too by the way.

@twshield I really can't think of anything. It used to be being incapacitated and becoming a burden on my loved ones, but I have a plan in place for that now. I swear to you, I've let go of the fears that used to grip me. I finally figured out that what I used to fear was always worse in my head than it ever could be in reality. Even the unknown doesn't scare me. It's going to be whatever it's going to be. It doesn't make any sense to me to fear it. I deal with life as it comes.

@twshield I think I have as much "peace" as is possible. Which makes me think about Kungfu Panda, "Inner peace. Inner peace." LOL I had to learn to quiet my own mind. Life is going to be chaotic, because that is the nature of Life. It's how you deal with it that matters.