@dijon-evans @ska My dear Dr. Evans: (You took enough med school to be honored by the title by another Dr. ... but believe it or not, my main doctorate is in Theology) I am taking my wife out for Valentine's dinner (another major stressor ...everything else, unless it involves reading, learning solo or playing guitar..like a ringin' a bell). I was very excited and my heart was very uplifted by your post. You are very much like me and I believe I can include @ska in this too when I say that we three are major survivors. I am sorry to hear that you are in a codependency situation, but you are rectifying that. Jolly good on that for you. You are showing independence and I am very proud of that in YOU! I believe that you have read my story...it was kind of out there for public consumption....I was housebound (in my early 20's, due to a quite quaint cluster of mental issues...ah it was all in my head) and realized that it was absolutely ridiculous to drag my wife down with me....so, I vowed that I would fight my way out of the black whole of mental illness no matter what the personal discomfort because there are BIGGER THINGS IN LIFE THAN ME!!!!! That would be my desire for Mr. Dijon....he can do it....its tough....it is like trying to shed the event horizon of a deep, dark black hole....but you have to think beyond yourself. Listen, my friend, if you even need anything, just let me know. Just knowing someone cares and understands helps. I wish I had that in my deepest, darkest of times....but alas, I didn't. But it is nice to know that I can talk to you guys nowadays. However, the thing I want to avoid is being a burden on you because, while I say a lot, I don't ever want to make your burden heavier. Pray tell, why are you feeling better about Ohio. Is it just a brilliant woman's intuition, which I have come to respect over the years. One more thing, I covet (yes, I am using the right word....) your supportive note. You made my day. I have been in darkness the last couple of days. Your friend, Steve PS - I used to play piano too! :) But I have never made jewelry...I do also glassblowing....made a glass flower for my mother-in-law and my own mother, but it was the day after she passed away. Bad timing...the appointment to have the kiln was scheduled and my mother passed the day before. That was a bit tough. Thanks for the well-wishes for my daughter. She is a good woman.

@the_professor , you would never be a burden!! Ummm maybe you have seen some of my 2GB posts, as I refer to them. Lmao At least I have managed not to do that, in here🤞.. lol My mr. Dijon, 😏, was there for me, for 13 years! Most of which, was when I was bedridden and deathly ill. So the least I can do, is sit and help him. Yes! Yes we are the 3 MUSTateers

@ska Hello ska. I wanted to stop by and say hello to you. I was full of gibberish when talking with Dijon yesterday and am not sure I was fully coherent. I was kind of rattled by current activities, but light is beginning to shine a bit today now that I communicated with her and am sending a note to you :) Anyway, I did want to say hi. I saw your note yesterday, but was so fumbled in my verbiage, I wasn't sure you were clear I was trying to even say anything to you....sorry :( I just wanted to say that I hope all is well and that you are still shining light on people's days with those bright eyes and brilliant, comforting words of wisdom. I do not know where things go from here. I will be leaving the warm and generally comfortable, albeit a bit lonely (which I like), confines of Florida in a few days and headed 1,000 miles north away from the equator. As the song goes, 'ya picked a bad time to leave me Lucille'. (End of February is not a good time to head north in this part of country.) But, my daughter needs surgery and when she wants her dad, I am there NO MATTER WHAT. I don't care what people say about that, that is the kind of dad I am...the antithesis of how I was raised. Of course, going home brings a plethora of problems and issues, but I will endure. I liked Dijon's play on words in our exchange of notes yesterday .... we are MUST-ka-teers. She is pretty clever with words herself. There are some very intelligent people on this forum. I appreciate that and have come to be stimulate by the discussions with the people I have met. You know, K....she (Dijon) deeply respects you as do several people on this forum. You should feel really good about the impact this has allowed you to have on people's lives. I forgot (or maybe never knew) what profession in which you were engaged or are currently engaged, but you have really found your niche in helping people in the Kratom community. These people are hurting and need someone, not with sympathy or pity, but with empathy. Someone who says, yes brother or sister, I am not going to pity you, but I have tread your rock road and I can lend an empathetic (I feel your pain and am here to support) helping (verbal/written) hand. You have a good knack at that. Keep up the good work. It is a ministry of helps to fellow humanity. There is no higher calling. At the end of the day it is better to help other than to accumulate power, possessions, prestige or position (although others might disagree). I like the fact that you tend to circle amongst the threads asking people how they are, checking on people who haven't responded in a while. I started to do that, but felt that this niche was sufficiently covered by people far more effective and knowledgeable about the Kratom community than I. I will find out about the Ohio ruling on Kratom as I am nursing my daughter back to health from her surgery. I have several plans to manage my mental and physical health depending upon their ruling and the consequences of the new 'laws'. No matter what, I will find a way to cope. I understand AKA has a Webinar. I usually attend silently, but am going to skip this one. The subject might be moot if Ohio criminalizes it. One thing I will not do is go to prison. Take care of yourself. Write whenever you can, but only if you want. Bye, Steve

@klay-kirk Mr. Kirk: I am a bit of a worrier. I have not heard from you in some time. I miss your supportive and gracious messages. I hope that you are doing well. Please let me know how you are doing. Steve (the professor)

@the_professor I was spending time reading through this thread here, and you are quite fascinating. I said earlier today that the friendships made here is one of the many great benefits kratom gives us. So much from a leaf. Its amazing to be able to meet new people with great minds, holding conversations with people that have common feelings and goals and struggles. I've been here 3 years now and my life definitely has changed beyond measure. I hope all goes well for your daughter. You both will be in my thoughts.

@the_professor You are, as always, Professor, far too kind but please ... *never stop.* Your words are an inspiration for me to keep doing what I do &, to be honest, I truly believe you have no idea how much they mean to me  *Thank You ...*

@lois_gilpin Dear Ms. Gilpin: Thank you so very much for you kind and supportive post. I am very humbled at the use of the adjective 'fascinating' to describe me. Nonetheless, I respective very much you opinion and am very flattered. My daughter and I have been though many things together. On March 19, 2000 an airplane crashed into our house in Akron, Ohio and it burned completely to the ground. We lost everything we owned. You can Google it with that date and location and probably still read about it. The plane burst into flames about 14 feet from the bed in which she was sleeping. She escaped. She is a survivor too :) Thank you for your well wishes. I hope to exchange notes with you soon. Steve

@ska Hi ska....not too kind, just analyzing the situation, seeing your strengths being used in action and encouraging you to continue to use them. You have no idea how much your notes back to me mean to me! I will send a note then not hear anything for a couple of days and then I start to think I may have stated something incorrectly and maybe said something hurtful; which I never, ever want to do. So, I covet.....yes, right word, you little notes back. I mentioned to Ms. Gilpin about another little incident that came our way...on Sunday March 19, 2000 an airplane crashed into our house in Akron, Ohio and destroyed it. You know my name, you can Google that and the date and location and still read the articles about it and see the house in flames. We lost everything, but the most important thing...our lives. The pilot unfortunately did not survive:( Take care and you are always welcome for me telling you the truth about your tremendous capabilities as an administrator and thoughtful person to the folks on this forum. Peace to you....Steve

@the_professor I wasn't aware of the plane, crashing into your home. I thank God, or whichever higher power you may believe in, that I have been blessed by your "presence " in my life, all the more, now!

@the_professor Oh dear, Professor ... that is terrible!!! I am glad that you & yours were not injured or worse, but yes, terrible for others. My heart breaks every time I see or hear about terrible things like that, especially after working for several years with the ER in a Trauma hospital. Now, I live near a hospital so every time I hear the sirens &/or see Life-flight coming in for a landing my blood runs cold ... icey cold.

@dijon-evans Hi Dr. Evans: You are so very kind. It is I who have been blessed to know the people on this forum, you are one of those people most particularly. I am very thankful that our paths have crossed. It is your presence in my life that brings me joy. Few people, 'get me'; but you are one who does. After this happened, we rebuilt the house and repurchased enough on which to live. After our daughter was married and moved out, we sold our home, sold most of our possessions, rent and now live by the motto: 'Use things and value people' Here is URL to the story: https://www.ohio.com/article/20151114/NEWS/311149360 Steve

@the_professor recently in Ca... superbowl day, and the only reason I remember that is that the poor people and guests who arrived early, had a plane that broke apart in air. Unfortunately for those in the house, where most of the plane landed in, and then exploded, but for many others as well. It was contained to one block, or street, but 5 people died. We still have you and yours with us❣ Yes, I get you! You're stronger at the broken places... just like the human bone.

@dijon-evans Hi again my dearest Dr. Evans: Yes, I did see that, in fact, I saw dash cam video of the plane breaking apart in the air. There is something funny (strange) that I forgot to tell you about the aftermath of the plane crash. If you follow the link I sent you, you will notice that while the article contains information about the plane hitting our house, the focus of the article is about an airplane hitting an apartment complex close to our house nine years later. Here is the strange thing....the media kept coming back to interview me for years after every crash of a plane in a residential area. They wanted me to say something comforting to the people in the neighborhood and/or people who survived. It wasn't only crashes in Akron, there was a crash of a plane in Buffalo, NY a year or so after our plane crash. The Akron media came to my house and asked for me to say a few words to the people of Buffalo on behalf of Akron. It happened on a couple of other occasions until we finally moved from that house. I am wondering if the people who bought that house was greeted by the media on the day after Superbowl Sunday to opine about the plane crash in California. I don't know if the guy that bought my house would have had much to say :) Take care... Steve