Posted by Cygnus on March 22, 1999 at 08:04:56 {MW9.1Uh1V91ko}:
In Reply to: How Do XJWs Play? posted by 5GJW on March 21, 1999 at 22:16:53:
I read a lot. Or should I say, I buy a lot of books and they wait to be read. :-)
I love sports. Watching sports on TV or playing. Although I have bad shoulders and knees, I still enjoy doing what I can (although even table tennis is becoming quite a workout). Ice hockey and football and the major sports around here (Buffalo), and we love our Sabres and Bills. I attend as many games as I can.
Buffalo is well known for its large proportion of bars, and I'm well known for frequenting many of them. :-) The old days of downing 30 chicken wings and 3 pitchers of Labbatt Ice in one evening are over, but I still very much enjoy the darts, billiards, smoky atmosphere and easy going chat.
Friends of mine participate in different musical projects, and while I am fairly talented, I don't have the time to be involed as a musician. I am, however, known as the "guitar and liquor roadie" for whatever particular group name their bands call themselves the evening of the show.
I do spend too much time on the internet reading the news, chatting on AOL, etc. But I guess I'm an information junkie (although I sometimes get quite frustrated in not knowing enough about enough -- I have too many interests in too many fields). I would like to take some college courses for fun, maybe for business down the road. Not feasible right now, though.
I've been getting my wife out more and more. We haven't done much socially together since I left being a JW, and with my long hair and beard I think I'd pretty much have to rule out hanging with the JW crowd these days. But we enjoy each others' company now more so than ever, so that's encouraging.
I don't volunteer for any functions or activities, although that's something I've been interested in for some time. Perhaps some day I'll get more than just the inclination to just send money.
I think it is very necessary for the ex-JW to stay busy with other avenues of interest, and not become a recluse. My work does not lend itself to making friends (as I have my own small business), but I was very fortunate that I reacquainted myself with some old chums from school, and I have a good friend who is also ex-JW (though people think he's just "materialistic" whereas I'm known for being apostate). That helped immensely, especially since when I did quit going to meetings, etc., I totally lost contact with everyone.
It's funny, these days I don't give certain things a second thought, like one would when a JW. Holidays, politics, an occasional cigar or curse, and then of course engaging in activites other than "field service" on Saturday mornings, or feeling absolutely no guilt about saying goodbye to my wife as she heads out the door for the Sunday public meeting while I'm relaxing in front of the football game.
"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be
happy and do good while they live." -- Ecc 4:12