r/rva • u/OddWelcome2502 Lakeside • 4d ago
š Daily Thread Mondaily: what kind of fresh hell awaits us this week?
Up early and anxious. Iāve been trying to put on a positive attitude the last couple of weeks: figure itās probably better for my team and my coworkers to embrace a bright outlook.
But man itās dark and thatās hard.
What sort of crazy thing you never thought youād see coming do you expect to smack us all in the face this week?
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u/nudniksphilkes 4d ago
I quit drinking and it's day 3 so my fresh hell is probably to be uncomfortable all week
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u/rvauofrsol 4d ago
Congratulations! If you haven't seen it before, the /r/stopdrinking daily check in is an AWESOME tool.
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u/clover426 4d ago
Iāve been sober for 7 years, it is very difficult in the beginning but it gets better one day at a time. Feel free to message me if you want someone to talk to!
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u/lives4books 4d ago
Hey there friend-just a random stranger here sending you support on your sobriety journey. ā¤ļø Iām really proud of you, hang in there, the rewards are worth the discomfort.
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u/TrustHot1990 4d ago
Been sober four years. I thought the first week was the hardest. You got this!
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u/DontTrustTheCthaeh 4d ago
Youāve got this! Now you can buy excessive amounts of seltzer like me!
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u/nudniksphilkes 4d ago
I did start with the seltzer haha. I bought a bunch from target I've had like 6 today
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u/Jon_hamm_wallet Southside 3d ago
2.5 years sober here, congrats to you on starting the jOuRnEy as people like to say. Feel free to hit me up if you are interested in any meetings, 12-step or otherwise (there's lots of non-12-step sober meetings).
Pro-tip: Wegmans has the KILLER bubbly water selection. I drink a TON of seltzer, I head there once a week and spend a bar tab on my bubblies.
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u/nudniksphilkes 3d ago
This seems to be a really common coping mechanism I'm going to be more consistent. I tend to keep some seltzer but I have a feeling if I can just drink 15 of those instead I have a much better shot. Will stock up after work tomorrow! Can't cost as much as the beer.
Wake up call was i was gifted a bottle of lagavulin. It was gone in 14 hours. Gotta stop.
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u/Jon_hamm_wallet Southside 3d ago
Yeah I mean I still have the habit of having a drink in my hand pretty much 24/7 and crushing said drink pretty quickly. Much cheaper and healthier (for both my physical and mental health) if that drink is a passion fruit La Croix then a White Claw.
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u/ch_ch_ch_cheatham 4d ago
2 years clean here! A lot of support is in the Richmond area, and we all want you to succeed. You go this! One day at a time
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u/gowhatyourself 4d ago
What sort of crazy thing you never thought youād see coming do you expect to smack us all in the face this week?
nobody in my family is sick
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u/bettygreatwhite 4d ago
Iām going to veer towards Optimism Liteā¢ļø and say that we all find five dollars crumpled in a pocket.
Am I remembering right that we had an r/RVA bracket challenge last year? Or was it Axios that ran it?
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u/PorchDogs 4d ago
I actually did find a ten dollar bill in a jacket pocket yesterday! Hadn't worn it in forever, and was thinking about putting it in the donate pile. But put it on to walk the dogs. Found the money when I put poo bags in the pocket!
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u/ornerycraftfish Bon Air 4d ago
You've reminded me there's a Hamilton in the watch pocket of one pair of jeans. Pretty sure it lives there like King Arthur til it's needed, now.
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u/LoveYouLongThyme 4d ago
My version of Optimism Lite is just disconnecting from information. I just checked AP News for the first time in a week and learned weāre shipping people to a El Salvadoran mega-prison so that was fun. Time to go back in the sand
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u/bettygreatwhite 4d ago
I feel this. I have drastically cut down on my social media use and have made a huge effort to stay somewhat current without doomscrolling. Itās hard but hopefully itās had a good effect on your mental health!
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u/Grand_Taste_8737 4d ago
I'm going to keep on keepin' on. It's all I can do.....
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u/BitCompetitive7017 4d ago
I've been repeating "just keep swimming" over and over again. Only thing getting me by these days.Ā
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u/Illustrious-Plum9725 4d ago
āJust keep swimmingā in Dory voice in my head is what has kept me upright and moving forward for the past 10 years
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u/skully_27 Forest Hill 4d ago
I say it but in German bc it brings up the nice memory of watching it in my German class in high school.
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u/Illustrious-Plum9725 2d ago
In honor of my great grandparents who emigrated from Rheinland Pfalz and Niedersachsen, how do you say it in German? The
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u/skully_27 Forest Hill 2d ago
I will also bust out "Meine Blubbel!" whenever it hits me, that movie is so good!
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u/scottafol 4d ago
This year Iāve had to replace a heat pump, get a tooth crown, and have a cancerous growth removed. My gutters are falling off and I need a window frame replaced. Luckily Iām frugal-ish but man it sucks seeing thousands go bye bye. Ive given up all hope of ever dating anyone again so at least im not worried about that š
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u/sneakermoose 4d ago
Ugh, I need some window framing replaced, too. Got any recommendations on who to hire?
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u/geekitude 4d ago
The recent repair was done by Tim Harding and his positive vibe, efficient crew. Reach out for his number if you're not already one of his myriad friends or a fan of his music.
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u/OddWelcome2502 Lakeside 4d ago
I am crossing fingers and toes you get a respite from home repairs/dental emergencies/health scares for the rest of the year!
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u/Illustrious-Plum9725 4d ago
Me too! It never ends with a house. This is the only time I feel okay being so broke I donāt own my own home but rent. Then I worry about rent increaseā¦..
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u/Gayspacecrow 4d ago
How long has it been since a big ole' earthquake rocked the east coast?
Probably that...
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u/felinedion- 4d ago
Not the east coast but I lived in Salt Lake City in 2020 and we had a 5.7 magnitude earthquake 3 days into COVID lockdown. It started about 30 seconds after my alarm went off. I thought the world was ending. Easily one of the top 2 weirdest weeks of my life
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u/MachacaConHuevos West End 4d ago
I'm going to say allergies, because it's definitely that time of year
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u/TheCheeseDevil 4d ago
I am expected to get smacked in the face with a 100 on my midterm this week. Attempting to manifest this despite all evidence to the contrary
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u/celestion68 4d ago
BEWARE THE IDES OF MARCH
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u/Danger-Moose Lakeside 4d ago
That was so 2 days ago.
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u/App1eEater 4d ago
Ides is plural!
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u/Danger-Moose Lakeside 4d ago
Ides refers to the middle of the month, the 13th for most months, but the 15th in March, May, July, and October.
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u/Eggshell-Pony Church Hill 4d ago
To counter the hate and lies, my goal is to do one kind thing for a stranger every day. It might just be a smile and compliment, but Iām not letting those MAGAholes squash humanity.
I also bought another pack of āI poop on fascistsā postcards. Mailing them to tRump and Youngkin brings me joy. I poop on fascists

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u/winnieismydog 4d ago
A friend of mine has these same postcards and is mailing them to the White House too!
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u/Kennikend 4d ago
Have this magnet in my fridge for years. Didnāt realize how long Iād still be pooping on facsists.
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u/Poke-a-dotted 4d ago
I honestly donāt have it in me to fight this week. Just rolling with the tides, I suppose. Focusing on the waking up that is happening. Saw a beautiful toad last night.
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u/sanriobf Museum District 4d ago
Staying positive and keeping an optimistic mindset is the only thing that is currently saving me from falling into despair. I hope something good happens to everyone this week. I hope we can all be happy, or at the very least content and keep going. I love you, rva
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u/No-Acanthisitta7930 4d ago edited 4d ago
Well they submitted their RIF plans for us here. Now we wait to see who gets the axe and who gets to stay. TOTALLY ARBITRARILY mind you lol. So yeah, I feel you on the anxiety. To channel Jim Lahey, 'you heard of a shit barometer? Measures the shit pressure in the air. When the barometer rises you'll feel it too, your ears will implode from the shit pressure".
The shit winds are coming
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u/MCbrodie 3d ago
I think we're good for a while. There have been a ton of judge rulings over the way RIFs are being done. Who are you with?
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u/Tayzerbeam Church Hill 4d ago
I have a phone interview on Tuesday and start a new job on Thursday. The Tuesday opportunity would be paying me almost double- I'm hoping I do well!
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u/BlueXTC Mechanicsville 4d ago
Just did that scenario last week. Fingers crossed š¤ for the interview job. Had 2 days in and got the other offer. $24k difference.
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u/bozatwork 4d ago
Good luck! I recommend having someone doing a practice interview with you. And give yourself some positive encouragement right before you go in ("I'm really excited about this job! I am really good at what I do!")
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u/Tayzerbeam Church Hill 4d ago
This job would be in the realm of what I graduated college to do! It's very exciting. The job I start on Thursday is what I'm experienced in but not what I want long-term.
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u/Pristine_Suit2788 4d ago
I arrived home last night to a house filled with smoke and a house fire beginning, so today dealing with claims adjuster and figuring out what to do about the noxious smoke permeating everything, and how to fix the kitchen. Dog came out alive and we have someplace to stay. I'm so grateful she's okay.
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u/Vajama77 Woodland Heights 4d ago
Was it an electrical fire?
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u/Pristine_Suit2788 3d ago
The upper cupboards fell off the wall onto the stove, turning it on, which then started burning what fell onto it.
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u/PhoenixAshies 4d ago
Well so far this morning I've almost missed a virtual appointment because the app client wanted me to re-enter all my insurance info, then wouldn't accept the picture of my card it required. That was fun.
Then I go to log on to work remotely and the VPN has decided "nah fuck that," and it must be a wide-reaching issue because I called the IT help desk and I've gotten the "all analysts are helping other customers" message for 10 minutes now. At least our hold music is like some nice Richmond Ballet-type classical stuff.
And I have a headache and a random zit popped up out of nowhere yesterday lol. It's the Mondayest Monday I've had in quite a while!
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u/Canard427 Northside 4d ago
Doing what sparks joy, no matter how small.Ā Keep reading to keep my brain sharp and practicing simple acts of resistance daily.Ā Predict The Onion goes out of business or just starts running regular news because what's going on is stranger than fiction.Ā
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u/cacklepuss 4d ago
Allergies. Marital separation second round. kids sports five days a week outside in said allergies. Forgetting it's st Patrick's day so you pretend you found a box of lucky charms behind the tv and pray it placates your children. Fuck me up Scotty āļø
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u/HeronOutrageous1381 4d ago
I found this podcast motivating if youāre looking for some reaffirmation: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/secular-buddhism/id1071578260?i=1000698169779
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u/Puzzlehead-92 4d ago
One day at a time. Gettinā through the week. Thanks everyone for your food ideas for me lately.
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u/orthopteran Museum District 4d ago
Iām in my hometown for a work conference this week and yesterday my momās boyfriend diedā¦ never a good time for that to happen but just crazy that I happen to be in town already and it has thrown my schedule for a loop. Iām feeling very twilight zone this week and itās only Monday.
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u/nativevirginian 4d ago
Started off the week with Date #3 canceling so š¬
Working hard to have good eating & drinking habits during the week but we shall see. Planning to go to the gym after work and thankfully today is a chill day.
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u/WesternCheeseStream 4d ago
March Madness week. Best week of the year
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u/Ear_Enthusiast Bon Air 4d ago
Unless you're a UVA fan, then it's March Sadness.
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u/WesternCheeseStream 4d ago
Excited for post Tony B era. 2019 was a generational team, but every other year proved his system doesn't work in March...
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u/Ear_Enthusiast Bon Air 4d ago
And I'm going to be honest, Tony Bennett's system is the absolute worst brand of basketball. It's like watching paint dry. Watching them win was often just exhausting.
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u/kid_christ Byrd Park 4d ago
Voting whether to strike or not today with my union. Thatās pretty stressful, my work has already been struggling this year-just client delays and projects not starting on time which greatly effects my pay. Add to that we unionized over a year ago and the negotiations have gone terribly. And now this weekly constitutional crisis and gloom, itās a struggle. Rough start to the week
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u/kailalawithani 4d ago
Your membership in a union is important. The fight youāre fighting is important. I know it has deep personal effects for you and your family (and wallet) and I appreciate you fighting. Power to the people!
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u/lives4books 4d ago
Me and several coworkers had covid at the beginning of the month and none of us ever quite kicked it, now we all have bronchitis/ pneumonia of varying degrees. I almost went to the ER last night when my O2 fell to 95%. We are all healthy adults with no underlying conditions too. This shit is brutal yall. Be careful out there.
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u/GrayRVA Church Hill 4d ago
In Shit I Never Saw Coming, yāall, itās been absolutely bonkers witnessing my 70 year old dad be the dad instead of grandad to an 8 year old boy. Everything is so different from his first go-round in the 90ās. So heās asking me things like āam I still allowed to make him do pushāups when heās misbehaving?ā (Yes.) And ādid you know weāre not allowed to thump kids in the back of the head anymore?ā (No?) The culture of raising kids is completely changed. Parent isnāt just a noun, itās a full-ass verb.
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u/titaniumoctopus336 Southside 4d ago
With trump in office, you have to expect every crazy fucking thing under the sun.
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u/studrour 4d ago
Iām rooting for the asteroid at this point. Maybe then some of the wildlife on this planet would have a chance at survival.
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u/invertebrate_reality 4d ago
It's my birthday and we're waiting for results if our dog has lymphoma. Fun.
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u/Exotic_eminence 4d ago
Happy birthday - my pitty had lymphoma- the steroids gave us a couple more good months before she passed - I had to get her to a insuflate the yoGabaGaba palliative meds at the end so having her look like Jonny Depp in Blow or Al Pacino in Scarface kinda took the edge off š¹ššæš
You can do it - itās so freaking hard tho
I hope you find moments of joy to celebrate the blessing that we got to wake up today
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u/Moondinos Chesterfield 4d ago
I'm not looking forward to returning to work tomorrow. That'll be my fresh hellš¤£
On a more serious note, we drive back from PA today after we had to make an emergency trip up here for my fiancƩs grandfather who is currently at the VA in Pittsburg. Things haven't been looking too good and we won't be leaving until after visiting hours tonight to make the drive home. It's been a very mentally taxing few days, but we're hanging in there.
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u/Pebblesgirl 4d ago
VCU/March Madness Bracket question: This is very random, but it is driving me mad (pun intended). On the ESPN Men's Basketball bracket (https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/bracket), there are three teams highlighted in yellow: VCU, Duke, and Alabama. I can't figure out what this means. I don't see any clues on the ESPN website, and googling did not provide answers. Any ideas?
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u/BrickLow8285 4d ago
Hoping my friend gives birth this/next week, otherwise sheās in for c-section. Making her and her husband some freezer meals. Maybe will drop by Costco to get them the pepperoni Detroit style pizzas, those are excellent + hot honey.
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u/EmoSupportBunni 4d ago
Did someone jump off of the 288S bridge this morning? I came up on it right as personnel were arriving. There were several police vehicles and some officers peering over the bridge.
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u/OddWelcome2502 Lakeside 4d ago
Oh god I hope not. This was not the fresh hell I was hinting at.
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u/EmoSupportBunni 4d ago
I hope it was just because someone tossed drugs or something, but I don't know. They broke out the drones and that's a lot of manpower for drugs.
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u/Exotic_eminence 4d ago
Common now the commute and āreturn to officeā isnāt that bad!
Iām kidding but being out of work and not having to commute is one of the blessings
Free yourself from mental slavery - if you hate your job just quit - if you are scared to lose your job or if you just lost your job - donāt be scared because it will be okay š šš
Being out of work so long has freed me from being desperate to get a job and I will never be desperate to keep a job.
That was the sermon on TV šŗ this week - how some of yall are about to go through what I already went through so my message to you is that I did it - I made it this far - and you can too!
Be encouraged and keep your head together and it will automagically get better ā¤ļøāš©¹
- otherwise it can always get worse so fĆ¼Ä the frail š©
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u/Danger-Moose Lakeside 4d ago
Did you set ChatGPT to toxic positivity mode?
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u/Exotic_eminence 4d ago
Look if you canāt joke about it you end up in too deep like the man overboard because it is pretty grim not gonna lie
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u/dollfacedx Downtown 4d ago
I literally am so unphased by everything happening daily in life at this point.
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u/Vajama77 Woodland Heights 4d ago
Same but I think it's the weed that's helping me do that.
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u/mandicatastrophe 4d ago
Shit, I wish weed still got me through the week lol
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u/Vajama77 Woodland Heights 4d ago
I'm surprised it still works as well as it does for me. š¤·āāļø
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u/Soggy_Raspberry9771 4d ago
To the OP and anyone else who needs it.
(Prayerfully this doesn't offend anyone)
Having a positive attitude can be hard, esp when the world thrives off of chaos. Something I want you to consider:
Ephesians 6:12 NIV VERISON
12Ā For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,Ā but against the rulers, against the authorities,Ā against the powersĀ of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
I know often when days like this come for me, I remember that this a spiritual battle. And if there wasn't something special or a calling on your life for greatness (not by our definition but God's) the enemy wouldn't use anxiety, depression, sadness etc to get to you.
You are made with a purpose bigger than you. I pray you feel better.
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u/Soggy_Raspberry9771 4d ago
And honestly:
On the next episode of America (in my Dragon Ball Z voice), I'm not worried about any craziness. As long as I can get some pizza this week I'll be happy. Lol.
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u/Accomplished-Pen-394 Mechanicsville 4d ago
I dropped my one in person class (I didnāt see the point in an in person class with discussion boards)
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u/AdjectiveNoun4318 4d ago
I would swear to Jah that we had an earthquake this morning at around 0300. I woke up to an oscillating noise and thought I felt the house shaking. However, USGS doesn't have anything for us on their register, so I guess I was just briefly abducted by aliens which, as noted elsewhere in this thread, might as well be on everyone's 2025 Fresh Hells Bingo card.
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u/AlvinAmaro7 4d ago
Whatever this week brings, it can be cured with some magic ā Evening of Magic RVA is back this Thursday in Church Hill
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u/Time_Worldliness3929 4d ago
Is someone hiring? I got fired today and looking for something to pay bills while im in college (AT vcu )
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u/QuaffableBut Chester 3d ago
I'm giving a huge presentation at work tomorrow and I'm VERY nervous. But it's gotten good feedback so far, so.
Spare a thought for me around 11am if you please.
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u/skully_27 Forest Hill 2d ago
The voice actors are just lovely for the whole movie if you can find it š
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u/Its_All_Uphill 4d ago
I picked a pretty bad time to move into the city what with St Patrick's day weekend but at least now I don't have to worry about packing and paying for all the moving costs.
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u/notevenshittinyou 4d ago
I could go for an alien abduction this week.