Ozzie's Weekend Poll #131

How's this weekend for you? Time to have some R&R? I think some have had one of those weeks, eh? Methinks it's time for some welcome rest.

So what shall we reminisce about this week? For the past four polls we've been examining the "Awake! goes monthly" issue so this weekend we'll take a bit of a break and consider something much more general.

How are you finding freedom? Hard to adjust to?

This wekend's poll question is..........................................

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What did you find it hardest to do?

1. Wear a party hat.

2. Put up a Xmas tree.

3. Say "I forgive you" and mean it!

4. Not wear a tie.

5. Go anywhere with a 'meeting bag'.

6. Pray for the President/Queen

7. Look forward to christmas.

8. Wear 'worldly' dress.

9. Smoke

10. Have a blood transfusion.

11. Say that Christ is God.

12. Stop humming those Kingdom Songs!

13. Keep using the words "the Truth".

14. Call the witnesses "brother" and "sister'.

15. Get rid of all the WTS publications.

16. Actually feel guilty about missing the Memorial.

17. Expecting the Sec to phone asking for my report!

18. Other (please detail)

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So whaddyareckon? let us know.

Enjoy.

Cheers, Ozzie

Hi Ozzie, I gotta say the kingdom songs get me every time - my heart wells up, I think of 'Jehovah' and paradise and how much sense it all used to make ...

Then I go put some real music on

Good evening!  How was your weekend? 

I would have to say

2.  Put up a Xmas tree.  after 19 years out, I finally did it

10. Have a blood transfusion.  had my NOK sign consent with my blessing (no blood was needed, but it`s the intent that counts)

t

 

 

What do you find it hardest to do?

Other:  To refrain from telling every JW I encounter to "stick it".

Hello Ozzie!

I had no problems with any of the above .... but about 3 months after I was out, I went to Russia and visisted an enormous amount of cathedrals. At one of those, they sold icons and beuatiful crosses to the believers. I found myself wanting to have an icon ... and I could not get myself to actually buy it. Some weird thoughts like "god will make the ceiling will fall down and kill me" if I did kept harassing me. That one bugged me enormously but I didn't buy one. (...at least not then )

 

Thankfully I haven't been in the situation where I need one but I think having a blood transfusion would be the most difficult. I can imagine their would be intense pressure from my family on that issue as the dubs think there's a medical benefit from abstention as well as a spriritual one.

I haven't had Xmas or a tree yet either, so that's another 'worldly' thing I need to do. I wouldn't find it hard to celebrate Xmas though and put the party hat on and pull the crackers. It's just that all my family are dubs so I'd have no-one to pull my cracker with

The hardest thing for me at the moment,  although I think I'm coming to terms with it, is calling it 'the truth' - I consciously have to stop and say 'the witnesses'.  You really have to 'think' about it - but it will become a reflex saying one day - also the terms brother and sister are still hanging around when I speak about the witnesses.  The big issues I really haven't had to handle yet - early days, I suppose.  alw

1. Wear a party hat.

have never wore one 

2. Put up a Xmas tree.

after several years we did Xmas, do it all now 

3. Say "I forgive you" and mean it!

would like to think that I do 

4. Not wear a tie.

still do, for church and such 

5. Go anywhere with a 'meeting bag'.

heh,heh, never thought about that one 

6. Pray for the President/Queen

now pray for many things and different people 

7. Look forward to christmas.

hmm...enjoy it, but the money you know 

8. Wear 'worldly' dress.

have had a beard for years, does that count 

9. Smoke

yes 

10. Have a blood transfusion.

would if needed 

11. Say that Christ is God.

no, am now a deist, don't belive in His diety 

12. Stop humming those Kingdom Songs!

yes

13. Keep using the words "the Truth".

nope 

14. Call the witnesses "brother" and "sister'.

nope 

15. Get rid of all the WTS publications.

have a few, packed away  

16. Actually feel guilty about missing the Memorial.

not anymore 

17. Expecting the Sec to phone asking for my report!

never dealt with that 

I've got another one:

• Keep a copy of the New World Translation in the house, just for old times' sake?

9.  Smoke

Will never smoke, extremely allergic to smoke

13: 'saying' the truth

after almost 50 years, this has been hard to change...I think someone on JWD said to substitute

The Lie

That helps

15. Getting rid of the literature was the final fairwell.

Just for reference material & shits and giggles, I wish now that I would have kept all of those books and bound volumes. But at the time, having those books around made me sick to my stomach. So we had an old fashioned book burning at an aquaintance's country property. I didn't attend, but I dropped off all of the books and felt a huge weight lift off of my shoulders.

greetings Ozzie!

I could definitely pick a few items right off the list, namely 7 and 11. I still can't get the nerve to put up an Xmas tree or sing xmas songs. but I love hosting xmas parties!

I guess the flip side of this question would be what did you find the easiest to do? for me it was smoking (cause I already secretly smoked as a Witness) and actually miss the memorial. I always thought that it was an abberation to just "pass" the wine and bread around!!

What do you find it hardest to do?

Gooday Ozzie,

Having Verni over at Passion Fish Tattoo and Piercing draw the Witness Fish on my arse yesterday.

It's sucks, when, at my age, everyone has Christmas with their families, so I can't really look forward to Christmas.

Other:  Coming to terms with the realization that my sister and mom will never be a part of my life again.

Cathy L.

To stop being so Damn submissive!!

saying the words "truth", "friends" "brother" "sister" etc

looking into other religions

celebrating my birthday.... that was really weird

but it seems like now i can really listen to people and really get to know them without labeling them as "worldly" or having the WT blinders on.

 

g.day ozzie.

after 22 years i still find myself humming or whistling the funeral, sorry the kingdom songs.my wife used to say to me when we were still in, "do you know what you are humming?" and it would be a xmas tune or happy birthday tune, now its "do you know what you are humming?" and it will be a k.tune. what a reversal.lol.

no.13 i still cant shake saying the truth, but i will take blondies tip and in future ill say the lie.

no. 14 brother and sister, i suppose time will help.

mr.alw

p.s. a couple of weeks ago one of my customers said "happy easter" and i said "and you", then i looked up into the sky exoecting a bolt of lightning, but im still here.lol