Moving experiences (and I'm not talking vindaloo)

that's good question wolfie ... will have to ponder it ...

Yes Wolfy, I had a major op, and was close to death, last October, at the same time, I lost the baby I was carrying. It shocked me HUGELY, and as a person that writes about bloody everything, I'm surprised I havent tackled it yet. Maybe, the whole point is, that its just too close? Maybe in a while, I'll be able to start putting it into some sort of perspective and get something writable out of it, but right now, its impossible.

wolfie .. i think one of the most emotional experiences i have ever had was when a friend of mine asked me to be with her when she had her baby ... after labouring all night she was hauled off for a section ... i have hardly ever felt so upset as when they wheeled her out ... then after a while this midwife marched in and plonked this baby in my arms ... "here's Louis" she said ... and that baby was SO warm ...

same here ivy. well, except it wasn't a friend. both my kids attempted to kill themselves at birth. I was very quiet.

Yeah, sth. happened in my life, just a few days back. i had to give a competition at which i had failed. i was jeered and teased the whole yr (last yr.).i thought of myself as a failure, i wanted to commit suicide, the pressure was mounting each day. then , when i gave the exam again, i didn't do it well, i marked wrong answers for questions i knew. i was damn nervous.but well i got thru' and my happiness knew no bounds .then, i suddenly realised, that i had done only 12 questions as compared to last yr. i realised i was the same person as last yr.,had i attempted a few more questions wrongly,i wouldn't be able to study medicine. AND I WD. HAV FACED REJECTION FROM EVERY1.BUT DOES ATTEMPTIN' A FEW MORE QUESTIONS CORRECT MAKES ME ANY DIFF.?I DON'T THINK SO, BUT ALL OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVN'T EXPERIENCED THE AGONY DO. ANY ANSWERS?

Hi, Two experiences have changed my life. The first was 31 years ago when at the tender age of 18 I was told that my son was a "Mongol". Horrible word, somehow Down's Syndrome as used today doesn't have the same impact. My son is now 31 and I love him dearly, he is a joy and has never been anything but my son. The second was two years ago when my grandson was born. He is my little star. Looks like an angel with a personality of an angel. Many things have happened to me in my life, but these two are the most memorable. AJ :>)

Hi Natasha, Nobody is a failure, EVER. We all do the best we can, and that's all anybody can do. In life, (I have learned through personal experiences) we all have a special talent. Finding that talent is the hardest part. Why should it be in an academic path? It could be artistic. It could be as simple as having an empithatic ear. Does it really matter? As the saying goes: It takes all sorts. So go on Natasha, I challenge you to find your special talent, whatever it may be. And Good Luck. AJ :>)

I think there is something in your brain that throws a little switch when you go through something like that, as if THEY (whoever they are) know that to write about it too soon would be far too painful - it's a way of protecting us. But some things, the really big, bad things - perhaps you can never write about them. I did write a poem about my Grandma's death, but only managed to think about it so that I could 'write it out' several years afterwards. Jen

I went out to Robben Island recently, where ex-prisoners there give guided tours and tell visitors of their experiences. I asked them how they can bear to a) step inside the place after so many years of imprisonment b) talk about such painful memories, often provoked to tears. One amazing man said that initially it is almost impossible but then the process becomes cathartic. Perhaps this is true for all traumas.

Though the typical human thing is to say we are not failures, I have to disagree. I don't know Natasha but I feel the same way. I often feel like I was born to fail. Everything I do or say ends up being wrong. I live life as a failure but at least I know why I exist. I am getting quite down and philosophical now so me gonna put on a Leanord Cohen, Radiohead or Smiths album on.