Landlords and Quaker Meetings

Landlords and their agents do make me grumpy. The broken econimics of the decade until 2008 and the continuing propping up of it have created a generation of people who rent out the multiple properties they own treating them as bank accounts rather than jobs. It doesn't occur to them to look at the attic to check for damp or leaks.

I had a half hour shouting match on the phone this week with an estate agent who geniunely couldn't understand why it was a problem that I had spent days of my life investigating, coordinating and fixing problems in the tenement when he is incharge of renting out a flat in the same tenement and had done nothing. He geniuinely expects someone else to look after the property he's renting out, he said the council would do it, or the tenents in the top floor flats, or me, or some other neighbour who didn't treat the flat as their pension. Anyone but him.

Anyway the point of this post is not to grumble about landlords, as fun as that is. It's to note that I can now have a shouting match at someone who deserves it. I couldn't do this before ending up in the coma. And it's actually a good thing. I used to be a push over, I still can be, but often I can say when people are ignoring their responsibilities and be forceful if needed. Which is a useful change in personality, as long as I'm careful with my new abiilities

But all this shouting gets my head wound up. I also suffer from ruminations, the same arguments going round and round in my head. And the myriad of other brokenness that comes and goes with head trauma. One way to relax my head is cinema, the sensory takeover allows for rare moments of relaxation.

Another is Quaker meeting, sitting in a circle with other people for an hour in silence and occational ministry on whatever interesting thoughts come to mind. It gives a rare hour without ruminations and thoughts distirbing the peace. The religious beliefs are based on peace, truth, simplicity and equality rather than any paticular belief in a prophet or god. I recommend it.

[Oddawa786]

Glad you are now standing up for yourself.

[HannahJ]

It may also sound wierd but here goes. I don't have an ABI but my husband does. I did however have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of what he and I went through. I find that I get a great sense of peace through going to our local cathedral Taize service. It is really strange how medievel like chanting helps bring peace.

[Hidden]

I once chased a till-snatcher to the back of Croydon's Quaker House, including a foot-chase across the north end of the flyover,eventually ending in the car park of the Friends Meeting House when he decided he was going to stand his ground.

Big mistake! After launching a few punches at me and receiving a few back he gave up after a roll around on the ground with knees and jabs.

The Friends Meeting House had turned out for the excitement; the Quaker types just standing there gawping and offering no help whatsoever.

As the van arrived I looked up and the office workers in Friends House [was BT] were all rubbernecking from on high and I suspect it was from there the three nines were dialled. The police station then in Fell Road.

I reckon the Magistrate we stood before six weeks later at Croydon Magis was either a Quaker, a wimp, or both. Lecture to the accused about his responsibility towards the public and being honest and with him having faith in him gave him a discharge. The accused walked out of the court and referred to the kindly, if not misguided Magistrate using a four letter word.

The accused was back in court around ten weeks later because that Sunday morning I caught him climbing out of a window of a house where he didn't live ............... not so lucky then; three months!

Quakers? Got some in the family; went to their wedding. It was boring to the point apart from someone breaking wind and making a few of us rough types laugh a little.

I don't like their porridge either!!!!!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

The porridge isn't really made by Quakers, they just try to steal our cool

[miracleman]

We need a Like 'button'on this forum, but as we have not got one I will just say, 'I liked this!'! Very good read, and glad you can now shout at someone 'who deserves it'.

[Hidden]

I used to be able to say what I thought when was being treated really badly but now I've even lost that part of who I was and I've sort of turned to jelly, a nothing-lump who just hurts but can't at the time say anything.

Often I only realise later what was happening and then it's too late usually. Then it goes round and round in my head and I'm cross at myself but know it isn't my fault. I've got so used to being badly treated now that it feels normal, sad but true. So now I believe I don't deserve any better and in some ways I am SO lucky: a place to live not on the streets and enough money to pay the bills. But still MEGA stress with loads of stuff that I'm really struggling with...

I used to try write letters but after either getting no reply at all or really stupid letters in reply that say nothing at all I've given up = pointless waste of my limited time and extremely limited energy and ANY letter I try write now = I can't keep to the point, it's too huge coz everything relates to everything else and I don't know where to draw a line for cut-off point, AWFUL.

Shouldn't HAVE to keep trying to assert yourself or try protect yourself from abuse especially if injured/brain damaged. If we all treated others as WE'd like to be treated the world would be a far better place to be. But I sound like a naive old hippy, huh?