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This is where I'm increasingly thankful that my dad wasn't in the harden up crew - he's not a softie but had no issues showing emotions or his struggles with mental health. We still knocked heads around persistence and resilience when I was a young teen, but as I've gotten older I've understood much more about what lessons he was trying to impart. It was just the old young v old brain clash - where we know fucking everything as a 15 year old aye!
I was also lucky (?) to have Dad at home while mum was the main breadwinner. Dad was self employed as a potter but it definitely gave me a different take on traditional roles. -
@Paekakboyz said in Happiness Scale:
gave me a different take on traditional roles
I'm really happy that my boys can see that it's totally normal for dad to be the one doing stuff at home while mum works long hours
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@mariner4life I think that's cool (this is the serious bit)
I've tried to get my wife to agree to something similar, as she earns more it makes sense....she doesn't think the cats need a stay at home dad though
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Firstly thanks to everyone who has shared on this thread. Absolute legends all. I certainly have benefitted from reading your stories.
Thought I'd add a little colour to what prompted me to start this thread.
A little over a year ago I was in a strange space. Not depressed, but bored and stale. Same job for 14yrs, stuck in the crazy hectic Sydney life of work, traffic and running around after 3 kids. Doing OK financially, but locked in a high-opex Sydney life meaning both of us were working pretty hard. Mum back in NZ with terminal lung cancer, time remaining unknown.
Decided to take a year off and reset, managed to secure a sabbatical from work, and moved the whole family to Bali. Thought by not working I'd be able to get back to NZ fairly easily to see Mum as needed.
Obviously 2020 got in the way of most of that, and we find ourselves back in Sydney again, back into the hectic lives we left behind - just without the cultural experience we had hoped for and with a big hole in our savings!
Had started back at work early given we were back in Sydney, and although some of the staleness remained, I had a new found appreciation for the stability of a job I still liked. Until a week ago that is, when I found out my company is exiting the country in a few months
. It was announced to the market just last night, whic is why I haven't posted until now. Looks like I have a role until April, after which I'll be job hunting (haven't had a job interview since March 2005...eeek!).I certainly don't write this to complain, I am very conscious that many folk on here have had extraordinary events happen in their lives, and 2020 has totally destroyed some peoples lives around the world - like many others have said, that has made me very thankful for all I have.
But its been quite interesting to find out a bit about myself this year. Before 2020 nothing really bothered me. Never really got anxious about much, was always pretty confident. That definitely got shaken up this year. Even the minor task of getting the family back to Sydney from NZ caused me an inordinate amount of anxiety at the time, and now I find myself pretty stressed again at the thought of seeking and (hopefully) starting a new role.
Turns out I really do value stability in my life. Routine. A sense of control, whether its real or not. I am looking forward to getting that back, the volatility of 2020 has really not been enjoyable.
Thanks again to all those who have shared, and to the wider Fern community. 2020 would have been a whole lot worse without you horrible cnts to "talk" to.
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@junior said in Happiness Scale:
@Hooroo said in Happiness Scale:
This thread is kind of therapeutic. Not because there are those that have had it tougher, not at all, but because we (as men) are speaking so freely about it.
It's something that our Dads probably never got to do and likely held it in.
I salute any of you that have managed to take action because of this thread.
I once told my dad I was feeling a bit anxious about my financial situation and that it was affecting my relationship. He called me a poof and told me to harden up. He then swiftly moved the conversation on to the rugby. Good times.
That made me laugh. It's so familiar.
I have a cracked rib, so laughing bloody hurts, along with any coughing and sneezing. Appreciate if you buggars would refrain from any humour (or attempts at) for about a month it would be appreciated.
Happiness scale is very low at present. Just got to roll with the punches in life.
I cracked a rib once, sneezing is a disaster!
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
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@Kiwiwomble said in Happiness Scale:
@mariner4life I think that's cool (this is the serious bit)
I've tried to get my wife to agree to something similar, as she earns more it makes sense....she doesn't think the cats need a stay at home dad though
stay at home? I fucking wish!! i still work 45+ a week. It's just she is a lot more than that
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@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it's all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
that spiteful bitch!!
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@mariner4life ...that doesn't change me wanting to be a stay at home catdad
seriously though, even more impressive
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
That's pretty impressive!
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
Ooh, that's a scarily good life insurance job. A weta in the toe of that gumboot and a couple of months from nw someone would've started a thread called "Whatever happened to Snowy? His posting has completely dried up."
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
I'd pay good money for video footage of this
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@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
I'd pay good money for video footage of this
Same and for the technology to read his mind as it all happened!!
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@JC said in Happiness Scale:
Ooh, that's a scarily good life insurance job.
I had the same thought and cancelled it the day after (and I let her know, several times).
Just too premeditated.
Planted possum outside, gumboots by the door, handing me the gun. No mention of moving fences dangerously close to ceramic pots and pavers.@Hooroo said in Happiness Scale:
Same and for the technology to read his mind as it all happened!!
I suspect that you all know what was going through my mind. It is all unrepeatable.
Given the nature of this thread, I have to look at the upside. There is no - "can you just" - chop down that tree, mow the lawns, grade the driveway, fix the roof, etc. I just remind her that is was all her fault (actually that's not going so well).
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Approx 7/10 on happiness scale.
I am a relative (not extreme) introvert, and also laid back. So I don’t really push myself. So in terms of happiness from ‘achieving’, I do just enough to get by.
Had a bit of a very mild mid-life 'crisis' a few years back. My father was a high achiever who died young. I was invited to a reunion of his organization and was a bit blown away by it all. Made me reflect on that I had achieved at the same age ….. and the opportunities missed etc. The very mild outcome of that was a resolution to get out into the great outdoors while I’m still young enough.
Came to conclusion our personalities must have been very different.
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@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@voodoo said in Happiness Scale:
Did you also crack yours when your mate nailed you with a flying drop-kick playing WWF on the trampoline ?
Not this time, but that has happened to us all. Once you get to 50 all of your punk mates want to kick you off the tramp whilst shouting "my turn, my turn" (yes, intentional, sorry).
Anyway - Possum out side. Get gun. Put on red bands.
Wife has string poultry fences to keep ducks and geese from shitting all over the place (doesn't work - they can get out whenever they like, about as effective as self isolation as a preventative measure).
Wife has moved fence. I catch gumboot in fence. Go over gun in hand. Hit side of ribs on corner of wife's large porcelain plant pot before landing on wife's pavers.It had nothing to do with me being a clutz, as you can tell from the above, it all the wife's fault. Might as well have pushed me.
I'd pay good money for video footage of this
er, onlyfans?
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@Snowy said in Happiness Scale:
@nzzp said in Happiness Scale:
er, onlyfans?
Only person who could have filmed it was the wife because she set it up.
Probably did it in portrait too...
that spiteful bitch!
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@mariner4life Stop bloody making me laugh!
Happiness Scale
