Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Kia Ora,

::) Life is very persistent [just like me  ;)]...Even when you might want to give it all up, it has a habit of slapping you in the face and yelling "Wake up and smell the roses !"

::) For me, it's exploring  the unknown qualities of life that makes it all worthwhile...

:eusa_think: So how about you ? Why 'is' life worth living ?

Metta Zenda :)

For me it's a mixture of the extraordinariness of the ordinary... and being bloody-minded :).

There have been a few times in my life where I felt like taking myself out of it. But once, a wren landed on my shoulder, and that was enough to keep reminding me that I'm welcome here.

Plus for me, the ultimate revenge on my abusers is to be happier than them and live better than they did - so I'm sticking around to see what happens :D. Lovely things happen often enough.

Oh, and my personal motto is keep on taking the small risks.

Kia Ora,


::) Whilst happiness and sadness tends to come and go - Life remains persistent and ever so consistent ! That's another reason why I love it !

Metta Zenda :)

I view life in Nietzschean terms. Life is to be endured until one can't anymore.

Quote from: EmmaMcAllister on January 02, 2013, 05:33:22 PM
I view life in Nietzschean terms. Life is to be endured until one can't anymore.

Kia Ora Emma Mc,

::) I can't 'endure' it anymore, so now I just 'enjoy it ! ;) ;D

Metta Zenda :)

Quote from: Zenda on January 02, 2013, 05:14:11 PMWhilst happiness and sadness tends to come and go...

I think that applies to pleasure and pain, but I think happiness is something different. A side effect of living well, not a goal to be striven for. I can be very happy in the midst of my own pain, if I meet it the right way. Just how it seems to me, but it's one of the things that's keeping me on the side of life.

This is why,

(https://www.susans.org/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fopeningsacredspace.files.wordpress.com%2F2012%2F03%2Fhummingbird.jpg&hash=bc8af4558832bb65d8e6cd51e33af20a4e0065bd)

I am finally free to be ME!  That makes life worth living.

Quote from: Padma on January 02, 2013, 05:40:39 PM
I think that applies to pleasure and pain, but I think happiness is something different. A side effect of living well, not a goal to be striven for. I can be very happy in the midst of my own pain, if I meet it the right way. Just how it seems to me, but it's one of the things that's keeping me on the side of life.

Kia Ora Padma,

::) Happiness for a sadomasochist is both 'pleasure and pain'  ;) ;D ....No wait, I've fallen into my own trap  ::) this would mean because I'm happy/content with life I must be a sadomasochist...Oh well, excrement happens....So be it ! ;) :D

Metta Zenda :)

Well, that's okay, we clearly each have our own definitions. Words are coarse models.

Quote from: Ms. OBrien on January 02, 2013, 05:45:37 PM
I am finally free to be ME!  That makes life worth living.

Kia Ora Ms O,

::) Again, what a wonderful response....

Metta Zenda :)

Life is to move from hope to hope and to find something bigger than your own small concerns to plug into.

Quote from: Pica Pica on January 02, 2013, 06:31:37 PM
Life is to move from hope to hope and to find something bigger than your own small concerns to plug into.

Kia Ora Pica,

::) How's London treating You ?

Metta zenda :)

Pretty good, got myself a decently cheap rent in a house with friends in the area I work, so I feel settled. Something close to the idea of home.

The writing creeps on, I finished reading the novel I finished in Easter and find my stuff to be far better and more satisfying than I expected.

I'm spending my spare dosh on old books from ebay - just got a Goldsmith from 1794 for under a tenner.
It's all pretty good - hope to hope, you know.

You?

Quote from: Pica Pica on January 02, 2013, 06:53:56 PM
Pretty good, got myself a decently cheap rent in a house with friends in the area I work, so I feel settled. Something close to the idea of home.

The writing creeps on, I finished reading the novel I finished in Easter and find my stuff to be far better and more satisfying than I expected.

I'm spending my spare dosh on old books from ebay - just got a Goldsmith from 1794 for under a tenner.
It's all pretty good - hope to hope, you know.

You?

Kia Ora Pica,

That's great news, your interests stay interesting, life's just flowing along nicely for you...A book that old for a tenner, what condition is it in ?

::) As for me, can't complain, life is sweet, it's the same old, same old, as well as well can be-riding the waves of contentment, avoiding the dumpers, that's just life for me.... 

Metta Zenda :)

Quote from: peky on January 02, 2013, 08:03:19 PM
LOVE and GOD

Kia Ora,

::) 50-50 Peky ?

Metta Zenda :)

Some time ago I wouldn't have been able to answer this or then I would've just babbled about something scientific etc (because I'm a science freak who doesn't believe in something as deep as the meaning of life, lol).
But ever since I started T and especially after starting the full doze, I have been feeling like I'm finally alive altogether. I can finally really grow up physically (because that's not gonna happen mentally!) and be who I've always wanted to be. It's a damn nice feeling.

And how fitting, I'm listening to BIGBANG's "Still Alive" when I'm writing this. :D

Quote from: Tossu-sama on January 02, 2013, 10:44:30 PM
Some time ago I wouldn't have been able to answer this or then I would've just babbled about something scientific etc (because I'm a science freak who doesn't believe in something as deep as the meaning of life, lol).
But ever since I started T and especially after starting the full doze, I have been feeling like I'm finally alive altogether. I can finally really grow up physically (because that's not gonna happen mentally!) and be who I've always wanted to be. It's a damn nice feeling.

And how fitting, I'm listening to BIGBANG's "Still Alive" when I'm writing this. :D

Kia Ora T s,

And 'a damn nice response !' you have been rewarded.... I have also sworn an oath not to grow up mentally...Can you tell  ;) ;D

Metta Zenda :)

It's interesting. There's so much to learn and experience.

Quote from: peky on January 03, 2013, 10:37:27 AM
G-d = 99%,  Love = 1%

I presume, peaky, you're Jewish

I said this in another topic on here (or at least I think I did :P)

Life's worth living for all those reasons that I don't know to put here yet.

Everything that's to come is still an unknown. The only way to experience it is to live and find out first hand.

Life's worth living because of the feelings you get to feel. I'm sure many of us have had too many long periods of lows in our lives, but when you finally reach the highs it just feels fantastic to be alive.

Quote from: Zenda on January 02, 2013, 03:22:35 PM
So how about you ? Why 'is' life worth living ?

This is actually quite simple for me. What makes my life worth living? Watching my son grow. Everything else is just a bonus.

Personally, no grand reason, but something always comes up that I'd like to stick around to experience, whether that be new music to listen to, learning a skill or taking a trip, right now its waiting for the conclusion of breaking bad  ;D

Kitesurfing on a beautiful sunny day, blue sea, soft sand, space. Endorphins seratonine dopamine. Giving. Laughing like a fool.

Quote from: peky on January 04, 2013, 09:27:44 AM
keep your endrophins, give me your anandamides,  >:-)

Homework for DianeP: go and look all the info about anadamide, missy

Kia Ora Peky,

"Anandamide, also known as N-arachidonoylethanolamine or AEA, is an endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter. The name is taken from the Sanskrit word ananda, which means "bliss, delight", and amide.[1][2] It is synthesized from N-arachidonoyl phosphatidylethanolamine by multiple pathways.[3] It is degraded primarily by the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) enzyme, which converts anandamide into ethanolamine and arachidonic acid. As such, inhibitors of FAAH lead to elevated anandamide levels and are being pursued for therapeutic use !"

::) You can all have some of mine...I've got plenty spare and lots to share...

Metta Zenda :)

Quote from: peky on January 04, 2013, 05:31:38 PM
Is your name DianeP? You are contributing to the delinquency of a minor by interfiring with her homework! Just kidding, LOL

But seriously, do you know when or during which state(s) anamdamide production peaks? Now this is homework for Zenda, everybody!!!

Kia Ora Peky,

::) Thus I have heard : In rats it peaks immediately before puberty -so it would seem I'm a Perpetual  Petra Pan of Puberty[How's that for P-ing] or it could just be I'm  a young rat  ;D 

But on a more serious note, there's some truth in all this, one has just got to take the euphoria many older trans-people feel just before the HRT kicks in and the second round of puberty begins...

"Anandamide is not the only THC-like molecule used for signalling in the brain. Piomelli's group has recently reported a new molecular key that closely resembles anandamide [Piomelli, 1997]. Naturally produced sn-2 arachidonylglycerol (2-AG) can also lock into the bliss receptor. 2-AG is present at 170 times the concentration of anandamide in some regions of the brain. Piomelli speculates that 2-AG and anandamide perform complementary functions. Understanding how those functions work may allow some of the positive medicinal effects of anandamide and THC to be exploited therapeutically- without most of the negative effects!"

BTW... I got my science degree [to what degree is debatable] from the University of Google, professor Wiki was my tutor ;) ;D

Metta Zenda :)

Quote from: peky on January 04, 2013, 06:16:58 PM
interestingly they peak during orgasm in the amigdala, they are also ubiquitous to some of the  centers that send or receive fibers from the BNST, connection to GID?

The other center where they have shown to be active is that of the G-d center. Their role in complex cognition is only a matter of speculation at this time...my young Jedi

Kia Ora and Thanks Peky,

::) So this can only mean one of two things...Either I'm highly sexed like those people who continually experience involuntary orgasms , or just plain f#%@  in the head... ;) ;D Both amount to the same thing... ;)

Metta Zenda :)

This thread was a great idea.

For one, experience. Happiness is wonderful. Sadness, dreadful. But for some reason, we seem more impacted by sadness, do we not? When we have a good day, we think "ah, that's lovely. I'm so glad this happened". But when we have a bad one, things grow dark and dreary, and sometimes people even doubt their right to life. I don't think living is accepting only the good and rejecting the bad. I mean, if nothing bad ever happened to us, how would we be able to direct other people further down the road? I've learned from lots of bad experiences, and sometimes I run into someone who's having the same experience I did once. It feels good to help other people when you can.

Life is a pretty cool thing. I think we should all try to make each other's lives pleasant, because who knows; that one kind thing you did for that one person literally could save their life.

Quote from: peky on January 04, 2013, 05:31:38 PM
Is your name DianeP?

No, and neither is mine. DianaP.  :P

Well, to answer your question in a more colloquial way, anandamide is a neurotransmitter like acetylcholine. It's also the "feel good" part of weed.  :P


Now to answer the original question. Life is worth living because I want to be like Scooby and the gang and figure out why.  :P

Quote from: DianaP on January 04, 2013, 11:43:13 PM
No, and neither is mine. DianaP.  :P

Well, to answer your question in a more colloquial way, anandamide is a neurotransmitter like acetylcholine. It's also the "feel good" part of weed.  :P

Kia Ora Diana,

::) Now you're really smoking  :icon_bong: ...What a good answer  ;)

Quote from: peky on January 04, 2013, 08:00:52 PM
Karma or to much meditation?

Kia Ora Peky,

Viagra, serotonin reuptake inhibitors and dope  ;)

Metta Zenda :)

 Life is worth living because it's less boring than death.

Quote from: Kelly J. P. on January 05, 2013, 03:55:14 AM
Life is worth living because it's less boring than death.

Kia Ora Kelly,

::) Life is all about dying!

Metta Zenda

Something else that is good for giving life value is a near death experience. When I used to  commute into central London I normally had an experience on the bike that would qualify as near death about once a year. I had heart stoppers around once a month but after a few years I got used to these and I swear my heart didn't miss a beat. I rode into London for around 20 years and still do on occasion and to date I've lived to tell the tale. That feeling of your heart trying to jump from your chest, shaking hands sweating brow, warm feeling in your underwear (you can always buy more pants ;)) That's when you're glad you're still drawing breath....

Living a comfortable life, no risks, no real problems or worries, no stresses, no health issues, never getting outside of your comfort zone etc it sounds kinda nice unless you know different.

For me I need some ->-bleeped-<- in my life in order that I can appreciate the good things all the more. I don't like the crap that life throws at me sometimes but I do recognise it's value.

I'd love to live near the ocean, but if I had the beach as my back garden I fear it would lose it's appeal.

I love windy sunny days when I can hit the beach but if I did it every day I think I'd get bored...

I think this is why there are so many depressed people around these days, life is just too easy. I watched a documentary on some slums in India. These people live in ->-bleeped-<-, they have nothing, life is very hard but one thing I noticed. I've never seen so many smiling faces. 

This is just MY take...

Quote from: smooth on January 06, 2013, 02:54:06 AM

Living a comfortable life, no risks, no real problems or worries, no stresses, no health issues, never getting outside of your comfort zone etc it sounds kinda nice unless you know different.

For me I need some ->-bleeped-<- in my life in order that I can appreciate the good things all the more. I don't like the crap that life throws at me sometimes but I do recognise it's value.

I'd love to live near the ocean, but if I had the beach as my back garden I fear it would lose it's appeal.

I love windy sunny days when I can hit the beach but if I did it every day I think I'd get bored...

I think this is why there are so many depressed people around these days, life is just too easy. I watched a documentary on some slums in India. These people live in ->-bleeped-<-, they have nothing, life is very hard but one thing I noticed. I've never seen so many smiling faces. 

This is just MY take...

Kia Ora Smooth,

"It's easy to smile and be pleasant when ones life flows along like some sweet song-But the person worthwhile is the one who can wear a smile when things in their life go all wrong !"

"Bittersweet goes the life of him-that clouded and distracted stranger to reality !"

Metta Zenda :)

Ah Zenda.  Life (for me) is worth living for the pure, unadulterated joy of it.

I have been blessed in life more than I have words to describe.  I was blessed at the tender age of 21 to come into full awareness of my exact life purpose, and I have enjoyed without limit the process of cultivating and evolving that life purpose ever since.

My employer calls me a Bodhisattva.  I have claimed all of my adult life that Joy is my vocation.  I have endeavored all of my life to honor that vocation in all that I do.  At times I fall far short of that endeavor; at other times I am wildly successful.  The simple act of committing my life to Joy, Harmony, Love and Gratitude in whatever form these experiences manifest themselves has been wildly fulfilling and satisfying.

In short, I would sum up this lifetime so far like this: Satisfied with what I have and eager for more!  I've simply made up my mind to be happy, and I am prepared to do whatever I must in order to BE that.

And that, Dearheart, is why life is worth living.  As long as life continues to call me enthusiastically forward, I will leap out of bed each morning, eager to experience whatever it is that comes next.

I love you for asking this question.  I feel high on my response.  Thank you!

Love,
Miharu

Quote from: Miharu Barbie on January 06, 2013, 02:05:38 PM
Ah Zenda.  Life (for me) is worth living for the pure, unadulterated joy of it.

I have been blessed in life more than I have words to describe.  I was blessed at the tender age of 21 to come into full awareness of my exact life purpose, and I have enjoyed without limit the process of cultivating and evolving that life purpose ever since.

My employer calls me a Bodhisattva.  I have claimed all of my adult life that Joy is my vocation.  I have endeavored all of my life to honor that vocation in all that I do.  At times I fall far short of that endeavor; at other times I am wildly successful.  The simple act of committing my life to Joy, Harmony, Love and Gratitude in whatever form these experiences manifest themselves has been wildly fulfilling and satisfying.

In short, I would sum up this lifetime so far like this: Satisfied with what I have and eager for more!  I've simply made up my mind to be happy, and I am prepared to do whatever I must in order to BE that.

And that, Dearheart, is why life is worth living.  As long as life continues to call me enthusiastically forward, I will leap out of bed each morning, eager to experience whatever it is that comes next.

I love you for asking this question.  I feel high on my response.  Thank you!

Love,
Miharu

Kia Ora Miharu,

You're welcome  :) and nice answer...


Happiness like sadness is just a state of mind and we all have a 'choice' of what state of 'mind' we want to be in[but sadly many are un'aware' that they have this choice]...You made a wise choice  :icon_joy:

Being mindful is what life's all about...So....

Happy Mindfulness  :icon_joy:

Metta Zenda :)

Just keep your mind full - like eating, you can't talk with your mind full.

Quote from: peky on January 06, 2013, 06:30:40 PM

Mindful of what? or it is just being plain mindful?

Kia Ora Peky,

::) When I say "Being mindful is what 'life's all about" What I mean by this is... Being mindful as in being 'aware' of being 'aware' that 'you' are 'aware' of how life flows, which leads the person  whose 'aware' to just 'go with the flow' and not against it...If one is not 'aware' of being 'aware', they tend to get 'caught up' in the past, while life just flows on by without them....

A mind full of happiness which comes from living in the present moment which is NOW...

Quote from: Pica Pica on January 06, 2013, 08:31:09 PM
Just keep your mind full - like eating, you can't talk with your mind full.

Kia Ora Pica

Don't speak with your mind full...Where are your manners...

Metta Zenda :)

Kia Ora,

Well it looks like you're all still living[Or at lease in my 'mind' you are]  ;) ....

So....Why is your life worth living ?

Metta Zenda :)

This is a personal thing for me, but I'll give it my best to be clear about my worldview/reason for living.

I've never once thought of committing suicide. I put a knife to my chest and to my stomach and to various vital areas to see how the steel felt. I was never in a dark place like many of you have been before.

The only thing I can say that kept me from those dark places is Atheism. I never believed in an afterlife. I never believed a god would save me. I was proactive and found meaning in nothing. With no god or overarching celestial plan, I found that I could do whatever I wanted, for whatever reason, and if that made my dopamine surge and brought me joy, I did it.

So really, in essence, I'm a barbaric and base instinct sort of person. This has basically led me to become a ravenous devourer of knowledge and experience. If I want something I go out and get it, and yes sometimes I hit roadblocks, or sometimes flat out fail, but it's never deterred me. My genetic depression gets that slot every once in a while.

And I guess this is all moreso train of thought, but that's how my mind works. I just found with all the great things to do and great people to meet and challenges to overcome I never had time to think of ending it all. I never want to end it all. But if death takes me then I made my life worth living.

The way I think about life is this. Life is exactly what you feel at the moment, and knowing that you won't always feel the way you feel right now. It might seem contradictory, but it's basically that life is a rollercoaster that will take you many different places. Sometimes you'll be screaming, sometimes you'll be laughing, sometimes you'll be crying. Sometimes you'll just be sitting around drinking coffee on your computer. It's taking everything in at the moment, but remembering that everything will eventually pass. This philosophy of life is why I am alive. It's how I've come to terms with life and the experiences I have. I hope that you can eventually expand out of that dark place, because I know too well it's a sad, scary, lonely place to live  :(

When life was too painful and dark, and I could find no hope or reason to live for myself, I gave up on that. That was my first death. From that day, I lived for others, to reduce their suffering, to enlighten their paths, to free them from illusion, to make them laugh so hard they wet themselves. The basic stuff. That was enough for 40 odd years (28 of which I had amnesia of the dark years and the little girl/woman who passed into unbeing but never ceased to be). Life always had meaning, and was always worth living, even though I yearned for it to be done. I was ready, and did, live to the point that there was nothing left, and I had given everything I had for as long as I could, and I was spent. And it was a good ride.

Then the same kind of grace that I had lived in order to bring to others, came to me at last. That was my second death. And I learned that there was a way for me too, and that I could follow that way and not abandon the people or principles I had grown to love along the way. I still live for others, only I live for me too now, and life is amazing. Utterly amazing. Paradoxically, I am become more effective in the lives of others because of the joy and the profound grounded-ness or connected-ness of every moment in my own life, that before was lacking.

I am in no hurry to meet my third death, when this body returns to the earth. But it will be another celebration day, another bright passage, when it comes all on its own.

Because unless someone can prove 100% that there is an afterlife or reincarnation then it beats the alternative.

on a more serious note, we have to have the lows to truly experience the highs. I've spent the last couple of weeks crying non stop & seriously contemplating putting an end to my life, now I have a chance of a home to call my own in month, my mum is showing sign of acceptance now & I've got my dog back from my evil ex.
Had I given in to the lows then I would be missing out on this euphoric happiness that has bathed me in warmth & fuzzy felt right now.

No matter how dark it seems there will always be a dawn sooner or later

Kia Ora Jayne, MadelineB, Darkflame, Tomthom,

Gave you all a well deserved rep  for such positive attitudes...

Metta Zenda :)

Whatever makes you think you are alive?

You are all a figment of my imagination!

You life is worth living until I wake up from this dream.

Ok! so you'd better work on keeping me asleep.

Quote from: peky on January 05, 2013, 02:31:24 PM
Life is worth living because you get to post at Susan's to have fun and cry with your kindred spirits (and also aggravate a few ones, every now and then, right JamieD?)

Absolutely!

Quote from: Cindy James on February 25, 2013, 06:06:31 AM
Whatever makes you think you are alive?

You are all a figment of my imagination!

You life is worth living until I wake up from this dream.

Ok! so you'd better work on keeping me asleep.

Cogito ergo sum - Descartes, 1644

The news may not have yet made it to Oz.

Quote from: Jamie D on February 25, 2013, 07:24:28 AM
Absolutely!

Cogito ergo sum - Descartes, 1644

The news may not have yet made it to Oz.

How could I possibly know if you are pondering existence rather then just living in my dream?

Someone get some chloroform for Cindy NOW!!!

another reason to live...

food is great.

Quote from: Cindy James on February 25, 2013, 07:47:45 AM
How could I possibly know if you are pondering existence rather then just living in my dream?

Am I going to have to unroll the Sammy Johnson kicking a rock anecdote again?

I prove it thus.

Quote from: Jamie D on February 25, 2013, 07:24:28 AM
Absolutely!

Cogito ergo sum - Descartes, 1644

The news may not have yet made it to Oz.

Kia Ora Jamie,

"Cogito ergo somnia !" Zenda, 2013




We are ahead of you all, us folk from down under  ;) ;D

Metta Zenda :)