How important is it in your life?\n\nAny good story?\n\nMemories?\n\nThank you for sharing!:)
206669
What a lovely (and very timely) question, Moon! Ta very much! :)\n\nI have loved hockey since the age of four when I was first exposed to it, watching my beloved Buffalo Sabres (currently hammering the hated Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs -- WOOHOO!). I was never able to skate worth a damn so I'm afraid my "career" began and ended with youthful street hockey games. But man, what great memories...\n\nHockey has always been important to me in my life, from those cold winter nights playing street hockey with my two older brothers and a whole host of neighbourhood pals under the street lights or on a bright Saturday afternoon. I'm smiling just remembering some of my youthful heroics, like the night we were short of players and I was designated as our team's defenseman/goalie (minus any goaltending equipment, of course) and I stopped the biggest kid on the opposing team (he was twice my size and the same age as my eldest brother) on not one but two clean breakaways. Both times I just focused like a laser on the orange street hockey ball (pucks only work on ice) and stole it away from him before he could get off a shot. The cheers of my brothers and friends were awesome but I especially liked when the big fella hoisted me up on his shoulders after the game and called me the first star (hockey awards three stars after a game and 1st star is best). \n\nI also vividly recall EVERY Sabres game I went to see in person, whether in the grand old Aud (Memorial Auditorium) or the spanking new HSBC Arena. My Uncle Norm had season tickets and always took me to a game for my birthday. I'll never forget the night my all-time favourite player -- and THE original Buffalo Sabre -- Gilbert Perreault scored a hat trick (that's 3 goals, just like in soccer) and had a couple of assists as well. I swear he did it just for me! (I was only 10 years old, of course, so what did I know? lol) My most recent game was only a month ago, here in Washington, when a bunch of us went to see our visiting Sabres thump the local Caps. Joined by a whole host of transplanted Buffalonians and Sabres boosters who travel with the team, we made more noise than the locals in THEIR OWN building. Great fun! My last game attended in Buffalo was a couple of years ago when my younger brother and I made a trip home to catch both a Sabres game (we won!) and Bills game (we lost.) while otherwise catching up with extended family and old friends. Nice! :)\n\nI love football (NFL mainly, but world football too, especially in World Cup years like this one), Formula 1 auto racing, even golf and tennis -- and the occasional baseball game, just to annoy Patz -- but hockey has always been MY sport, my first love and the source of many happy memories of my bygone youth...\n\nThank you again for asking such a lovely and, for me, personally significant question. Cheers, Moon! :)
317596
life. I know that that's not in the form of a question, but that's the beauty of it. It encompasses everything :)
159641
hey,\n\nout of personal experience, yes... and i LOVED it lol
227688
My partner died of (breast) cancer at the age of 34 - ten years ago. I still have a deep love for her...her memory and the time we spent together. I started dating after about three years and eventually married after five years. I occasionally talk about her to my wife who knows that I loved her  agreat deal. It was a very powerful time in my life going through the whole process, both painfull and very special - magical at times and a deeply spiritual expereince. I would never want to forget it as a monumental time. However, life moves forwards in every way. It was funny that my partners mother was in Aushwitz and I went to see her about a month after the funeral. She asked me if I had found a new girlfreind yet! I told her that not enought time had passed. She told me to get on with life. She, if anyone, should know such things. It took me some time to integrate what had happened then I did move on. And now I have a great wife and i am in the next chapter of the story. Turn the page when you are ready and remember that the previous chapter will always be there...dont' wait longer than you need to and let it unfold naturally. Good luck.
84250
My wife and child are moving to a different city.  I am moving to yet another city.  \nI am going to be homeless again after many years.  \nI have more debt then money.  \nA very serious entity has destroyed me and my life and I am in the process of rectifying things.\nMy life has been a poorly written movie and it just got worse.
125670
I've never been married but I think after people get married, their lives become very occupied with work, bills, children, marriage, and what not and they do not find time to exercise and stay in shape.  I think it's important to stay in shape but I know how hard it can be to find the discipline when you're always on the move with a busy schedule, boring meetings, travel, etc.  However, just like it's very important to love your wife or husband for who they are as human beings and what they meean to you emotionally, it's also important to like them physically.  I think it's great to make love to someone who, not only do you love, but you also find very attractive as well.
26210
Ghost stories are Bull**it!!! I did watch someone die once. It was an extremely moving experience. The woman was dying of kidney failure (very painful)and was struggling quite a bit to stay alive.She was thrashing around and was in and out of consciousness for several hours. As the last moments approached I stared deeply into her eyes to see what was going on inside her mind (so to speak). What I saw really shook me quite a bit. In her eyes I saw a change taking place. As I looked I began to see other faces in her face. Not anything like a ghost, but more like a percieved image of all the people I have ever known. My parents, freinds and even my own face. I guess it was empathy or something, but I saw death and stared it in the face. I saw us all there. we are all of one "soul" I would say. All of lifes experiences will happen to us all ultimately. Enjoy it while you can. And keep in mind we are all the same. There are no seperations when it comes to "soul".
593991
We have been very lucky with our two children. I don't remember every telling our children lies, but telling them things that they can accept at their age. They now both know of our party lives, the deaths of our friends or accquaintances because of how we partied. Although we were not "heavy" partiers, we grew up with many that did. We (the now parents of two fantastic kids over 20) did many things that we should not be alive, and we told them everything we could of how lucky we are since in our high school gradutes consisted of:\nkids that died in car wrecks - drunk driving\nkids that died of overdoses - drug expermintation\nkids that died of being dumb - sniffing rat poison thinking it was cocaine\nkids that are quadrapaligic - being struck by drunken drivers\n\nLike I said, we were lucky. We grew up in a SMALL town with very little crap we had to deal with like gangs and things like you had to grew up with. But still had to find out about life the hard way.\n\nOur philosophy was to talk, talk, talk. Know exactly where they were 24/7. Have them "check in" every hour when they were at that we had questions about. When our children's friends came over, we MADE them check in with their parents. When we were asked questions, we answered them as truethfully as their age could bear. We would call the other parents before a "stay-over" when we were told it was ok with them and we made sure we met all of their friends. Although we have no control over whom, it would give us a better picture of what we were going to try to sway one way or the other.\n\nIHOPETHISHELPS\nPaul
290451
Great question, thank you!\nThe most rewarding human experiences we have are those shared with other people. Lively conversations on one topic or another, a quiet moment alone on the balcony with the love of your life. Or the excitement and joy in the faces of your children or grand-children as you explore each day. We all need these experiences to feel alive, indeed to live. And the common factor in all these things, at least for most of us I think, is the ability to interpret the other person based on their expressions. \nObviously that is not possible online. All we get to see are the words others leave in their attempt to explain, to seek, to plead, to honor, to thank, to cherish, to love, to help, to grow. For many of us though the words are only a portion of the communication "package". An important portion to be sure, but not the complete package.\nFor me a photo is the next best thing to being there in person. I can look at the photo and imagine the expressions as I read the words. And it helps me understand better what the writer means. I know it's an old cliche but the eyes really are the windows to the soul. A photo doesn't quite provide as clear a window as I would like, but it is as close as most of us will get to those we interact with here, unfortunately. At least it is much better than a little cartoon character.\nI understand that many prefer to not post photos for privacy reasons. That's okay. But for those who are willing, a photo can be so helpful.\nAnother cliche, "a picture is worth a thousand words", really is true for me. A photo somehow removes many of the barriers to honest and open communication that some feel.\nRecently I was chatting with someone and, although it was very enjoyable, I just felt I wasn't quite connecting. I asked for a photo not knowing what the reaction would be (it was worth the risk). The person agreed and within moments my perceptions changed in a remarkable way. I will never forget the moment that photo loaded on my screen. In an instant the concerns I had (as many here probably share) were relieved. Just an old photo made all the difference for me. Not just the photo itself though, but also the fact that they were willing to send it. A gesture of trust. \nI guess some of us here prefer to not know who they talk with. That's okay too. But those of us who need just a little more really appreciate others among us who are willing to share their photo. A Yahoo 360 page is a wonderful way to communicate too. It lets others see just a little bit more.
383559
its about a beautiful life.\n\n:> peace
530613
I just graduated high school last year and am now in college. I did cheerleading every year in high school and it greatly affected my high school experience. I made new friends, it kept me busy, and was great to put on resumes. It was extremely hard working and very demanding on my time and energy, but it was so fun and completely worth it. Now when I look back on my high school years, I remember so many memories from cheerleading, not memories of sitting on the couch eating potato chips after school. It gave me a purpose and I strived to do my best and to improve. During my senior year, I had a falling out with my group of friends and I had no one to turn to, but I had cheerleading and just got closer to my cheerleading friends. I don't know what I would have done without them.
663762
Hi, I met my husband at my place of employment. I only thought of him as a nice person, possibly a friend. He came in one day and asked me to go to a band job with him(he is a drummer). I said I wanted to go and he was a perfect gentleman in every way. When I got home he said goodnight and patted my hand. I really knew he was a good guy and I would date him many times after that. After two years of dating we had a beautiful wedding. I still love him so much I could not tell you.
629892
Growing up! Supporting yourself, not always having mommy and daddy being there for you.  Experiencing things, and making your own decisions and dealing with the consequences was the best thing I learned from college......
377554
Congratulations on your writing.You have quoted true and unfortunately sad statements about nowadays life.I would say that I couldn't agree more with you.In this period of my life I'm through one of the worst moments of it.The only thing that keeps helping me hope is the though of a better future.I'm not living but existing at present.Like everybody I have had good periods and bad ones.That's life and it seems I can do a little to change it.Hope and wish for the best for me and for you too.Reading your writing also made me smile because at least there are still some nice and caring people left on this world.\nBest of luck from Italy.
643574
I've had many...far too many to brag about, but once you experience just one, if you're wise, you have a deeper appreciation and value of life.\n\n1)  The first was one of the worst because I was just about only 9 years old.  My best friend and I were guests at the birthday party of one of our male classmates.  His mother--who was also one of our substitute teachers--came around to picku up each of the kids in their station wagon to drive us from New York to Connecticut.  It was a very big deal for me.  After changing into our swimsuits, my best friend pushed me into the deep end of the pool, and I didn't know how to swim.  To make matters worse, I took a deep gasp, just as she pushed me in, so I took in nothing but water!  At first I panicked.  Just like they say, my life flashed before me.  I had not lived much, at that point, but it still seemed like it was a lifetime within a split second or two.  Then, I was sad for myself, because I knew I was awfully young to die.  Then, I was sad for my mother, who reluctantly permitted me to go.  At that point, I think I relegated myself to die, because I wasn't moving upwards or downwards.  I was just in this suspended animation.  Then, I realized that it might not be too painful to die that way.  With the exception of my right arm, all of me was now relaxed.  My right arm was raised as if I was trying to get someone's attention, or like a child might do in class.  Even in "near-death," I was following the rules by raising my hand!  Finally, the relaxation caused me to float to the surface.  That is when everything went very quickly.  A few of the adult chaperones dove into the water to get me.  Then, I was being lifted out by many hands.  Then, they were putting pressure on my stomach, and I was regurgitating water.  Then, I believe I started crying.  It's weird, but that period where I was under the water was almost tranquil.  It may be because it was the closest thing my subconscious recalls to being in my mother's womb.\n\n2)  I averted a possible shooting at around age 14 or 15, when a friend stole my babysitting job.  She snuck behind my back to take a regular job with my downstairs neighbor away from me.  She got it, and instead, my mother, sister, and I went uptown to my great-aunt's for dinner.  I wanted to get home before the Academy Awards came on.  Even then, I never missed them!  My mother kept stalling, and we didn't leave before they began, but rather an hour or so in.  Factoring in the subway travel time, we were home about two and a half hours later than we would have been.  Because of the delay, we missed the fatal shooting that occured just outside the door of the downstairs neighbor's house--the place where I would have been babysitting!  According to my friend, the man was trying desperately to get someone to open the door.  She wouldn't do it.  Had she, the killer may have killed her and the baby as well.  With someone pleading for their life, I don't know that at the time I would not have opened the door...\n\n3)  I have had at least three near-misses during plane travel.  One of the most notable was when I was about 16.  My mother, sister, and I were returning to New York from Ohio by plane, just after New Year's.  At that time, I was not fearful of air travel.  As we attempted our landing, the wheels touched down, and we bumped several times, only to take off again.  The passengers were very tense, and you could hear a pin drop.  We made numerous very large circles, and stayed in the vicinity of the airport.  Eventually, we attempted our landing again.  This time, we were all very aware of the lights of several emergency vehicles on either side of the runway.  When the plane landed, everyone applauded.\n\n4)  As a senior in high school, I was trapped along with another 18 or so students in an elevator caught between the 8th and 9th floors of our school.  It was toward the summer, and we were all ve
226850
My life has never been perfect (even till now). Ups and downs and sideways, too. But the essence of life is how you live it during the good times and , unfortunately, during the bad times, too. So all of those bad things I charge to experience and hope that I don't trip over the same rock twice. And for the good things, keep on coming.\n\nMost of those who reply to this question so far say that they should have done better in elementary or high school or college. Right answers. There are no wrong answers. But come to think of it, don't you guys feel that your misses and "mistakes" have helped you to grow stronger and better equipped to face more challenges? What do you think?
468544
It is sacred to me, but I won't describe the experience here, beyond that. It is very personal and precious to me.\n\nSadly, I do not feel I can share it comfortably. Too many people at YA are too quick to rush in, mock and profane the small sacred comforts people take.\n\nThat's unfortunate, because it would be an interesting discussion to have among respectful people.