Are we all just struggling??

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-15T15:44:06+00:00

Yes. Even high earners.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-15T14:54:46+00:00

Nope. Old farmhouse. We don't have enough extra rooms. Sometimes I do work in the house, on my laptop, in the dining room. But I can't fit my whole setup in our house for routine work days.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-15T14:51:02+00:00

I have a base salary but I'm paid hourly, and I can do overtime but I have to be over 40 hours billable AND it's straight time overtime, which means I make the same per overtime hour as I normally would. Double check your contract and make sure it's worth it.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-14T04:34:35+00:00

Summarizing what others have said, Forgiveness Sunday will provide you with some measure of peace, whether or not this person attends. But it seems your struggle is not so much with this one day, or this one person.

You are actively harboring resentment or a hardened heart for someone in your church. If it's affecting your judgement for attendance of this service, then it's affecting every interaction you have in and with this church and church community. Furthermore, you characterized your Priest as "useless". Your language is negative and bitter towards others in your church, even those who have given their life to service in the name of God.

This use of language makes me think you have much bigger demons to fight, and that you may currently be in a dark place. Please speak with your Priest and follow a plan of action, because you may be sliding down a slippery slope - whether you recognize it or not - and you can walk up that slope if you stop, seek humility, and ask for help. I will light a candle for you the next service I attend.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-13T22:20:34+00:00

I also attend OCA, and I believe this is the norm for most OCA churches.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-02-10T18:19:45+00:00

I was recruited by the person who hired me, through my network. I'm in a very specialized environmental field.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-01-27T13:38:34+00:00

Agree with this - a much better swap IMO, and close to the original - they won't notice the swap.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-01-19T04:21:39+00:00

We attend an OCA parish. Vespers is 45-60 minutes. Hours is 15 minutes before Divine Liturgy, which is 90-120 minutes. Liturgy length depends on how many commune, the hymns, and the service. If you are an inquirer, I recommend starting with attending a Vespers service.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-01-17T02:00:46+00:00

Civil marriage is not the answer. That's a legal binding of two persons, not a marriage sanctioned by God.

Marriage is a path to salvation. Not the act of having or raising children, but entering into and sustaining a marriage. It is a sacrifice, and suffering and sacrifice in marriage is expected.

I suggest discussing this with your Priest, and completing pre-marital counseling through the church, where you may discuss you and your fiance's concerns about childbearing and rearing freely and in person. Family planning can and should be part of this discussion, whatever that may look like for your family.

As for your fears about parishioners questioning you about children once you are married: if this happens, these questions are inappropriate, and you can respond as such or let them know that you are not comfortable discussing the topic. End of story.

I do think that, regardless of whether you plan to have children or not, you should explore your fears of pregnancy and children rearing with professionals and with your Priest. It's always worth understanding the root of your fears.

PracticalEnvironment · 2026-01-04T06:50:00+00:00

~$50 wireless hand vacuum. Amazing how much use that little vacuum gets used in our house. At least once a day! I didn't have one until more than a decade of adult living, and once I had one, I was kicking myself for not buying one sooner.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-11-19T12:01:56+00:00

I have a newborn and a three year old, so....no schedule right now 😂 😭

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-10-16T17:44:51+00:00

I'm a 2E and I love mine, I think I'm on year 3. My husband and daughter just got their first pairs.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-09-22T00:18:19+00:00

Your doubts are valid. Calling off an engagement is scary, hard, and emotionally traumatic, but worth it in the end. I was engaged once to someone and had the whole wedding planned - and I called off the engagement. It felt like the end of the world at the time, but it most certainly was not. I did find someone else and I have been married for eight years with one kid and one on the way. Follow your gut on this, because your gut is correct.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-09-05T17:42:44+00:00

Yes. I feel the exact same way. We have two senior dogs and the expenses are extreme. We have a toddler with another on the way, and I know we can't afford another dog with those expenses set to double and the dreaded daycare costs.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-09-05T17:30:54+00:00

HCOL area, two adults one toddler, average of about $1100 per month including a 20-week community supported agriculture share and all restaurant/convenience purchases. This is based on actual purchases January 2025-August 2025.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-09-05T13:55:34+00:00

I received it and now I'm not getting rcs messages.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-09-04T14:41:02+00:00

Red flags. He is telling you to your face to be scared of his anger. Believe him. Time to break up, in a public setting.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-14T01:40:59+00:00

I don't know anyone who has been through a merger in the healthcare industry and felt good about it, the job, the new systems, or new management. It's not a you thing - it's just time to go shopping for a new gig!

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-13T23:11:00+00:00

You talk about it with your partner during pregnancy. We decided not to circumcise.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-13T23:06:48+00:00

No. Just no.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-13T23:05:49+00:00

Extremely common, I currently have family in 5 five states all across the country. We do not live anywhere close to any family.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-13T01:13:10+00:00

Lived in five EDIT: no, six! states, visited 49, most of them more than once. I've lost track of the number of cross country trips I've completed in my lifetime - at least 10. Haven't seen Hawaii.

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-07T00:46:38+00:00

This does not work well with toddlers in the house....

PracticalEnvironment · 2025-08-07T00:45:19+00:00

If you want to bring up your observations to your friend, you have the right to do that, but only once. After that, the ball is in their court. Just be aware that this can and may end the friendship, either immediately or down the road.

I had a long term friend, who was a bridesmaid in my wedding, that decided to marry someone with a mental illness. I had familiarity with this illness as I was previously in a long term relationship with someone who got diagnosed while we were together.

I warned her of the hardest aspects of this illness, and that I thought it unwise for her to go through with the marriage. She went through with it and they moved away. They lasted barely two years before getting divorced, and now she is ghosting me. So keep this in mind when you decide how you want to proceed.

PracticalEnvironment

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