Welcome to General Chat - GAW Community Area
This General Chat area started off as a place for people to talk about things that are off topic, however it has quickly evolved into a community and has become an integral part of the GAW experience for many of us.
Based on its evolving needs and plenty of user feedback, we are trying to bring some order and institute some rules. Please make sure you read these rules and participate in the spirit of this community.
Rules for General Chat
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Be respectful to each other. This is of utmost importance, and comments may be removed if deemed not respectful.
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Avoid long drawn out arguments. This should be a place to relax, not to waste your time needlessly.
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Personal anecdotes, puzzles, cute pics/clips - everything welcome
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Please do not spam at the top level. If you have a lot to post each day, try and post them all together in one top level comment
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Try keep things light. If you are bringing in deep stuff, try not to go overboard.
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Things that are clearly on-topic for this board should be posted as a separate post and not here (except if you are new and still getting the feel of this place)
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If you find people violating these rules, deport them rather than start a argument here.
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Feel free to give feedback as these rules are expected to keep evoloving
In short, imagine this thread to be a local community hall where we all gather and chat daily. Please be respectful to others in the same way
I've skipped plenty a Thanksgiving meals with my one sibling and her family many times, not for politics, but for alcohol consumption when i was getting sober , in a way, that was the negative energy i avoided. i also brought my son a few years to volunteer and attend the community Thanksgiving dinner that happens in the town I live near, and it was not just poor people that attended, a mix of Americans, no politics, just a community feast.It taught my son very valuable lessons regarding true charity and volunteering time. Family is what you make of it, not blood related all the time. There are so many places across the country that provide an opportunity to join others in giving thanks on this day. There is no need to be alone, but being alone is also not the worst thing in the world, I've also done that, and survived it just fine. Visiting a nursing home to sit with random people who are also alone, the lonely person with dementia may love having a person sit with them and sing the song "We gather together to ask the Lords blessing", they probably remember the words. So many options to keep your energy positive!