Alone..Depressed..Sad..

[Ggrand]

Hi..I'm new here..just need to put my feeling down..no one to talk to makes depression and anxiety so hard...the last 4 days I have either been in bed crying or on the lounge crying..I can't seem to get out of this...I am becoming a prisioner in my own home as its getting progressively difficult to go out.. I have to go out Tuesdays so I do everthing on that day but it's like I'm holding my breathe all day until I get back to the safety of my home then I can let go and that starts the cycle again of spending the next 6 days at home either in bed or on the lounge sad and depressed...I really feel like just giving up.. My husband passed away 4 years on This coming Thursday. My children live 6 hours drive away and have small children so I don't see them that much.Bad mum and grandmum I am on there last visit i was pleased to see them but I just wanted them to go home. I feel so aweful and numb atm..

[Fiatlux]

Hi Dear Grandy and Friends,

I hope you are all keeping well.

This thread reminded me of all the times my daughter and I would visit the Salvos or Vinnies, searching for great stuff. I still head to any stores I see even when on Holiday. The Country outlets have some great finds.

My daughter also volunteered at the local Vinnies when she was still in High School. It was a wonderful experience for her and she enjoyed the company of the Ladies who she worked with. Most were retired and she formed a great bond with them. They would also put things aside for her when they came across a great find. That was especially generous of them.

One of the ladies found an authentic Chanel evening bag. Still had the authentication documents inside. Apart from a slight scratch it was perfect. She set this aside for my daughter. She couldn’t believe it.

I recently found an authentic Dolce & Gabbana handbag. I felt a bit guilty paying $5 for it. It was a great find, not something that I would ever buy brand new. But I also found an old vinyl record of Donny Osmond singing Puppy Love. I paid 50 cents. It was worth it just for the record cover which was in mint condition.

My absolute favorite find was at a flea market in Country Victoria. I found a vase with the most amazing print on it by the Artist, Gustav Klimt famous for his painting “The Kiss”. The vase was squarish and had The Kiss printing on each side. It was $5 and a birthday present to myself.

Grandy in the time that you have volunteered, what have been the most interesting or extravagant items that you have come across?

And anyone else who has shopped at Vinnies, have you made any interesting purchases? Please share.

Enjoy your weekends, wherever you are… 🙏

[mmMekitty]

Hi Grandy & everyone,

I"m very pleased to hear Betty will be with you at the shop on Saturdays, although I still am wondering, if it is possible for someone else, maybe comes to get the things from the bin, Saturday, or what about the Friday before, or the Monday after? I don't think that would be much to ask, given your physical health. Sounds like I wouldn't want Betty taking that on either. If your employer doesn't think the welfare of their volunteers is important, than I'don't know what to say,... certainly things I can't say here.

Pepper has been a wonderful addition to your home. So wonderful!

Hi DB. So glad to hear you had a great time seeing your brother & sister-in-law. I'll get on over to your Discussion, help you air it out!

Lovely to see you here, Fiatlux, & all the cool things you have found while op-shopping. I once had an old record player, which could play 78rpm records, & found a heap of them going cheap. It was fun going through them, hearing the music, much of which was from before I was born

Hi Quirky! I saw you there. [Grinning LRC, waving]

Hugzies.

mmMekitty

[Ggrand]

Hello Fiatlux, mmMeKitty, Deebi👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 and everyone….🤗..

Thank you for calling in and for your lovely posts, We used to have a trolly in the bin that the donations fell into, which made it easier to get the donations out…but trying to get that trolly back inside the blue bin was very strenuous and difficult because we had to physically lift it over the steps* to get it back inside….the way we do it now is and isn’t better then before…both ways has its pros and cons….it’s amazing the amount of clothes that are donated daily…

No, no really good finds, the best thing I found and bought was a beautiful sun catcher which I have hanging out front on my veranda….All the donations we get are from the town I am working in (4,000) residents and the unemployment rate is about 80% so it’s extremely rare for us to get some kind of designer or brand name find….definitely nothing extravagant has ever come in….on my days..

The girls out back sorting are suppose to do the bin, but they don’t do it…I remember asking them one day if they would empty it as they had no more sorting to do….they said their backs or arms were to sore, so I don’t ask them anymore, I just do it myself before they come in to work….I do the bin, make morning teas, wash up, prepare for lunch (kettle on) clean up after lunch all while I’m trying to serve customers….Betty will vacuum the shop at the end of the day….I have given up trying to get them to do more then just sort through the donations and socialise…..It doesn’t take long for others to realise that I am a door mat….I can’t change that part of me….I’ve tried so hard, but guilt takes over, so I have tried hard to accept that part of me….I do at times through work, have a good cry to get rid of my built up frustration I get at work, from wearing myself down both physically and mentally…

Saturdays are getting busier each week…..a few more weeks and I get 2 weeks break…

I hope everyone has a good day today…I’m about to make a cuppa tea and sit outback with my little fur family….

Sending my care, hugs and love to everyone…🕊♥️🤗..

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩Grandy….

[demonblaster]

Hey my dear bbff Grandy 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 and every other lovely out there 🖐

Darlin thanks so much for your beautiful comments and support re being at my brothers I’m sorry lovey I didn’t thank you earlier I was so touched by your warmth and love, always am 🤗. 

Geez Late reply too about that family oh Grandy love I assume that’s the one I often wondered how they were as neighbours. When I read them returning Pftt Grandz it’s not at all ok you being out the back because if them. Dam but I think you’re very smart and wise to do so. Bummer though, you should be able to feel safe at your home eh. 

Ugh Saturdays aren’t sounding ideal either. Yip agreed there needs to be an easier way to get the goods out. Can someone talk to management. You certainly shouldn’t be having to struggle and be in pain. Ah darlin awful you crying through the wrongs done at work. I flippen hope they realise the worth they have in you. Actually I think they do. Better! 

How gorgeous how the furs are getting along loved hearing that.

Hey beautiful lady so often I want to chat to you just about anything but know yAdimh and thoughts all the time honey heart 🤗

Oh that’s so good Betty doing Sats with you. So pleased cause she’s someone you care about and a friend there. That’ll be nice getting the time off soon. 

ok sweetheart pubAok love you so very deeply. Please keep working at it hun, love that you keep at it. You’re a true survivor darlin and So much stronger than you think. 

btw hun do I contact them through modsupport@beyondblue.com.au? Re here being so hard to post etc. 

🌈👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩🙋‍♀️🍓👀🌞

[mmMekitty]

Hi DB. [grinning LRC, sticking bib in], I can answer the last question for you. BB is a .org.au. So their email is:

modsupport@beyondblue.org.au

Hope you get your posting problems sorted out.

Who empties the bins & how this is accomplished is a workplace health & safety issue, just as it would be for a paid worker.

Grandy, being older means you are more likely to have an injury while doing work that requires more strength, flexibility, balance & endurance.

What's best for you, Grandy?

There are things about your employment that really bug me. I wonder just how much good this job is doing you. You do so much, thins work related & things that are not, like bringing morning tea cake or biscuits to share, with little appreciation either. The women you work with are walking all over you, letting you do most of the work, while they sit back & chat. You deal with customers, some of whom you are uncomfortable with, & one. I think, you have been distressed over. The Saturdays you work alone, I'm sure are stressful, even frightening sometimes. Except for the friendship with Betty, I'm struggling to come up with positive aspects to your job.

Oh, alright, you do have some chats with some customers, too.

I understand you need the social & community involvement.

May I ask, is there something important to you about having work to do? 

I mean, can you find social activities that aren't so stressful & likely to cause you to further injure yourself?

I'd love for you to be able to spend more time being with your grandkids, your furbabies, your friends, like Betty, being at least as astive as you are now, on into the future. I imagine that is what you would like, but hey, the question I asked is for you to answer, not me.

What do you want for yourself? Not what anyone else might want, or what would make them happy, or feel at ease & comfortable - I mean it, this is about you, & what is best for you.

What's wrong with looking aftter yourself now, for a better tomorrow?

You deserve to treat yourself with the same kindness & care you have shown to so many others, myself included.

Big gentle hugzies,

mmMekitty

[quirkywords]

Hi everyone. 
grandy like your information about your op shop.

[Croix]

Dear Grandy and waves to all the hord~

Grandy that party of pain sounds really bad, and I'd be sure that heavy lifting and struggling wiht bins makes it worse. While I know that you have difficulty saying NO -and as a result beleive quite wrongly you are a doormat - do you think rather than changing all your habits, just balance future pain against current embarrassment and feeling uncomfortable and merely say you can't manage the bin (or any other heavy activity if it comes up)?

So the bin overfills, let it. While you are indeed the 'oil' that makes the gears of the world work, wiht making food, working in the shop and all the rest you do there has to be limits.

'Doormat' is silly. You have a giving nature and naturally prefer peace and harmony - so do I and umpteen others. Sadly the world does not always supply that - like the three tearaways that make you apprehensive or the uncooperative ungrateful people in the shop. Still you keep on going. That is not being a doormat, simply determination while reacting to what is around you.

Quirky~

If your posts post themselves unfinished you can hit the tiny little circle with a v in it (beside the AM or PM at top right of post) and choose edit post, then resume writing.

MmMeKitty~

I am guessing that wiht the huge hacks of Medibank Private, Optus and so on many organizations that store a lot of data  would be very busy making thier computers secure and as a result the problems we see in terms of character counts and other matters are given a lower priority - this is just I guess, but I believe an accurate one.

In the meantime using Word seems reasonable, it is what I do, and find around 2,100 characters with spaces in Word will most often fit here. You are right about emojis, they take up roughly 30 or more characters each, depending on the specific emoji.

DB~

I've not realy had a chance to chat with you, how have things been?

Croix

[Ggrand]

Hello Deebi👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩, mmMeKitty, Quirky, Croix and everyone…

Thank you Croix, you are right..I was just feeling down and upset with myself when I wrote the word doormat…feels that way sometimes….It’s that I’m the co-ordinator on my days and feel guilty to not do my job requirements properly for those days…..

MmMeKitty, I feel no worth or purpose to my life if I stay at home….I need this job to keep me feeling worthy enough to have a life…I wish so much I could spend time with my grandchildren, but I rarely see them…both my sons work 6 days a week so it’s hard for them to visit…me going down to visit them is hard on my back and leg as it’s a 6-7 hour drive…(manual car) then when I do visit them, they are always working, the children always out at their friends place…I feel lonely, inadequate and in the way when I am at their places…My eldest son has a routine and needs to stick to it,  as the twins are both autistic (on different levels) and go to a special needs school….disrupt their routine and it feels like hell unleashing itself into the house…Even when I rushed down to be with my younger son after his accident at work, I felt like I was in the way….

I don’t have anything to look forward to in the future….no, not feeling sorry for myself or anything like that…it’s just that their is nothing!…..I live each day as I wake…I don’t plan ahead for tomorrow…after I wake and if I feel mentally and physically well enough, I’ll mow my lawn, do some cleaning or something in or around the house….

Deebi…I like Saturdays best of all….feels more comfortable, no workers out back sorting, my duties are only in the shop…I do hope you’re okay and hope so much that you can work out with BB supports, someway to fix your posting issues…I do miss you, and not knowing how your managing….Umm….no pressure at all…been thinking of you a lot…love you dearest bbff..

Sending hugs, love and caring thoughts to everyone….🤗♥️🦋💭..

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩Grandy

[Paw Prints]

Hello Grandy, wave to all,

It's good to hear you are starting to enjoy your Saturday shifts... is it a full day or just the morning?.. the charity shops in the big town here shut at noon on a Saturday, but the ones near where I lived in the city were open all weekend as it was their busiest time. I'm guessing in big town getting staff to work the weekends must be hard.

I saw on another thread... can't remember which, that you went to a garage sale (yay you!!) & bought a tree... have you needed to fence it off from your furs?... Woofa (actually most of my past furs as well) in his younger days was always most helpful in the garden... more than willing to dig up whatever was newly planted & to bring it to me in case I wanted to change my mind about where I wanted to put that plant... I just have visions of Peppa being helpful in the same way, given she is still a youngster.

The christmas movie I most enjoy actually isn't a christmas movie... but when I was a kid it was always shown around christmas time so I think of it as a christmas movie... it's Harvey with James Stewart... as a kid I loved that Stewart had a giant invisible rabbit as a friend... I now have it on DVD as I still enjoy it... do you have a favourite christmas movie that you have been watching?

Pats for your furs & some huggily hugs for you

Paws

[Ggrand]

Hello Paws, Deebi, and everyone..

The shops open from 9am until 2pm….not really a long day…most of the shops in this town all close at 12pm….only the supermarkets stay open all day….

I went last Saturday on my way to work, I am still taking Betty and she wanted to stop there before work….I planted it a couple of days after, I am a bit sad because it doesn’t look healthy…it didn’t when I bought it but I thought It might be just because it was in the bucket for long….and once planted it would grow…still hoping it will recover and grow into a beautiful tree….

My favourite of all 2 Christmas movies is the original “Miracle on 34th Street”…also “It’s a Wonderful Life”…love the old classic films…..”The Santa Clause” is funny and “The Polar Express”…I like watching as well….i have watched Harvey…but it was so long ago I forgot about that movie….James Steward was a brilliant actor…

I went to our works Christmas Party today….it was held at work, through working hours while the shop was open for business….which I was more comfortable with going….at least I could and did escape* out back when it got to much…we had Kentucky, some spring rolls, fish, crumbed prawns, battered prawns, a fruit platter and cakes…it was nice…oh and we all got a box of Cadbury favourites chocolates…..😁…last year we all got a lovely pen…but I didn’t go to that party…I did this year,  I’m feeling good about myself that I did manage to get there this year…

I have only 3 more working days until I have 2 weeks off….I need to find something to do to keep busy over those 2 weeks….

I hope everyone had a good day today…

My love and hugs to everyone….and pats to our beautiful feathered or furry friends..

Grandy…