What's your reason to live?

[trqintracks]

I don't have a partner or children, nor do I feel I want either of those things.
I have a good job and some nice friends but what's the point in carrying on?
What's your reason?

I enjoy my life. I have a (grown up) child. But I just enjoy my life. I love our rescue dog. We've only had her for two weeks,but the changes we can see in her for the better, are remarkable. I enjoy seeing the dog grow in confidence every day, and I'm grateful that part of that growth is down to me.
I love my friends. Some I support, some support me. And that changes almost daily.

This month I'm going to see my (currently) favourite artist, and next month I'm of on a bit of an adventure.

Yep, Im old and have a number of health conditions, and yep I've has cancer three times, but I'm still here. After all, here is all we have.

OP, you sound depressed, and I'm sorry about that. But it will pass. Be gentle with yourself

Why not get a pet?

Because we all matter. We have no idea of the impact we have on others, but we fit into a picture, and if we weren't here there would be a gap. Plus, life is full of fun stuff, so why leave it?

The trick is to learn to love and enjoy the so called simple things in life. Imagine if you were from a totally different planet, absolutely nothing like Earth. Wouldn't everyday things be absolutely amazing and wonderful. We just get complacent with our lives and everything
around us. Take it for granted really. If you watch children when they see something new for the first time, they're full of joy and wonderment. Eckhart Tolle talks about living in the now. It can really help.

Me. I am the reason to live. I want to live. I have to live. But it's hard some days but you keep on because life is short and we have to go through the shitty times to appreciate the better times. Do something for yourself something that makes you feel good.

Because every day, every moment, you have the chance to make life a little better for yourself or for others. It’s all about the choices you make.
Making things the best they can be is so satisfactory . Two examples:
‘If not for the decision to go for a walk today, I wouldn’t have seen that beautiful flower.
If it wasn’t for my decision to join the help the aged campaign, Reggie would not have spoken to anyone today and wouldn’t have laughed out loud’
We all matter . We can all help others and help ourselves if we choose to

I’m trapped in a not very happy marriage and have 2 adult children who don’t care much about me.
I keep going because of my little 3 year old niece and my 4 year old goddaughter. I adore them both and I know (well I think I do) that I am a special person to them.
I also have 3 cats who make me what to get up every morning

I have a rescue cat who needs me....

I am very very lucky that I love my job. I love spending time with friends and laugh. And I like wine and perfumes. Seaglass. Lying on the beach. Try and find the little things you like and do them.

I don't have childen but I have young people close to me who look up to me.
I have a comfortable enough life.
I have a job which helps people be happy with themselves.
I have friends and family who love me

I rescue/rehome a lot of animals and educate people about them.
I basically have 'things' to give the world

Iv got a neurological condition and am slowly becoming more disabled. Iv never been so happy as I know I have to make the most of every day. Sounds strange doesn't it? . I love my home , any sort of crafts, I go to a sewing class, love my dogs. Now I'm older I don't worry about what others think so much and just do what I want within reason including going to a naked spa.

tierra that cat! S/he's beautiful!

Because I am alive already, I'm here, and I have a responsibility to do the best I can with every day. Sometimes I find moments of joy, and at other times I trek stubbornly through my seasons of discontent.

Also, i hope i can be useful. Even just smiling at strangers on the street makes me useful to somebody, and can brighten their day.

Everybody has their own special talents, even if they don't know it and haven't found them yet. Be kind to yourself. You deserve to be happy and fulfilled, and one day you will maybe find that feeling this way has made you stronger and more empathetic towards other people who ate struggling.

trqintracks - at the moment my 16 year old ds gives me a reason to continue, but I can see a time in the future when he has left home and is independent that there will be no reason to continue either.

My lovely dh died suddenly 10 months ago and the happy future we planned (retirement, moving house, holidays etc etc), just don't translate to doing by myself. I can only see loneliness and a gradual decline into poor health on the horizon now. I have friends but it is not the same as a partner.

For me friends are better than a partner. Known some of them since primary school, and gone through all sorts with them. They know me better, and I live in a different country to them! Still they are my rocks.
If your friends are similar, you should value them.

tierraj that’s warmed my heart

TierraJ I thought for a second that you had stolen my rescue cat! What a beauty!

tricky question - answer -my children but sometimes im so ill that the end to my suffering is all i care about .

Because every day is a new opportunity to do something; see something different, exciting, experience something beautiful, be it a smile from a stranger, a kiss from a friend or a great film or book or a giggle with family.

Im single and childless and middleaged but I think of it like this, I probably have about 25 more Springs to witness if I’m lucky; 25 more summer holidays; 25 Christmas days. I’ll get to spend another 5 years with my beautiful cat. Nothing makes me spring out of bed like she does.

I have a job I enjoy and a lovely home but I find that it’s the simplest things that make me happy these days.

My son and my pets.
Sometimes I’d love to be free of them though and go wwoofing and house sitting around the globe

It's the same as growing older in my view - a privilege denied to many. While every day is not sunshine and rainbows I try very hard to see the good in life and notice the small moments of happiness. Today I cuddled a puppy, I held my daughter while she cried and helped her to calm down, I cleared a pile of laundry, I sat in the sunshine with a coffee, I found and started reading a new book. All small things but all good reasons to be cheerful.

I felt upset yesterday as my friends were talking about babies & im childless.

But there must be more to life than having children. My family are trying to convince me of that.

At least it's sunny today!!

I'm keeping going because my pain is less than my kids would have (4&6) if I killed myself. Their father has Aspergers so they'd have NO emotional nurturing through the horrendousness of their mother committing suicide.

This is if zero use to you right now.

If I didn't have that option removed, and, I didn't have kids, I'd try to travel more. Plan trips to non dangerous places and write poetry, get bar jobs or something that didn't tax my brain too much.

Or if I had more money I'd check myself into Chiron House and not leave until I was better!

I am very nosey curious; just need to know what happens next. I'm growing in confidence to reassure myself that even when my hopes and plans are derailed I can manage the disappointment because I've brilliant friends with whom we will laugh our heads off at the irony.

I have a young relative (5) who I'm very close to and I don't want me dying to be part of her story.

Because of this, and for some other reasons, I suppose, I don't want to kill myself but often daydream about dying from something that's 'not my fault', having died when I tried to end my life in my teen years or just not existing any more.

It just seems to me that my problems will continue to occur throughout my life and that there is little point in struggling through.

I've often wished I had religion or something equally 'powerful' to give me reason but you can't force that.