Hello Gary --

Welcome to the forums. People here are loving and supportive, and ofen wise and intelligent and insightful and even funny. I hope you make new friends. Some tips I was given when I felt left out were to PM people & to stop by the chat room now & again.

I had a friend for 20 years, may he rest in peace, who was confined to a wheelchair with muscular dystrophy. He had a shrunken body. His head definitely was too big for that tiny frame. He had to lift a glass with two hands. Pretty women flocked to him, and men hung around him to learn his secret with women. It was pretty funny actually -- I'm sure the outside world thought that all these people were so nice to drop by Al's to cheer him up. But it was he who made others feel good about themselves by his wit and interesting mind and intense desire to be with people. He was a people person. Now, I'm considered fairly physically attractive -- in my youth, something of a babe. But I have suffered from depression all my life. I am an introvert -- and overly educated and intellectual, and sometimes, because of my upbringing, inflexible. So there you go -- I have a hard time making friends, but it's not because of my looks.

One place where I found a lot of acceptance was at a small storefront Science of Mind Church that I attended for many years. SOM and Unity are positive-thinking upbeat religious philosophies -- and I'm sure that many traditional churches have upbeat ministers and congregations, too.

If that is not your style, is there any other activity you might take up for socialization -- not necessarily to "hunt" women, but just to enjoy yourself? Politics? Parasailing? Chess? Whatever.

Coming here is a great start, though. I think these people may have saved my life. They sure helped.

(PS This is Wants2Fly -- had some login problems)