So it turns out I have an old account on here and I recovered the password. Only had four posts but DANG! What a different time! In those posts I was fresh out of high school and still filled with that joy of a naive teenager like

I described myself as "happy and smiley" or something like that???? Gawd. I'm so grumpy and frowny and unfriendly now. That was kind of a smack in the face, seeing that. Only three years ago! Jeez!

Discuss: How the years have embittered you.

Honestly, they've done the opposite for me. I used to be very pessimistic and unhappy. Since then I've removed some negative influences on my life and done my best to embrace happiness. I feel a lot better since. It really was not benefiting me in any way to be such an angry rain cloud.

Welcome back to mene!

@Cherry Who; Well that's nice to hear! I have been coming out of my grumpy slump over the past few months and trying to be more happy and cheerful despite circumstances, though I don't know how well this "mind of matter" business is working.

Yeah, you can't always just will yourself out of a mood. But an improved outlook can help with some general grouchiness, anyway. I still get in plenty of funks and slumps and have plenty of "what's the point?" moments. I just try my best to remind myself that once I've gotten it out of my system, it's not going to do me any good to stay down.

Well....I'm over half a century old...and I have lived a life of bad situations, bad luck and unfortunate circumstances.
Granted, some of those negative turns were by my own hand,...but most were dealt to me for reasons unknown.
I lost my only son when I was 18, lost my mom before I was 21, out of 3 living children, the middle daughter is 32 years old but is and will always be developmentally equal to a 1 year old...I have lived homeless in a 20 foot motorhome for a year with disabled daughter, BF and cat (it got down to minus 35 degrees that winter!) and I am presently in debt to our landlord and may have to move if he sells the property.
I had become a really bitter person who would rather stay home than to be in the presence of people I would have to paint a plastic smile on my face for...
Then my youngest granddaughter came to live with me....over 2 years ago...till her parents can provide for her...and now I feel like decades were taken off my age!! ....The rewards for helping an infant become a happy toddler are immense and immeasurable!
I still feel overwhelmed by stuff kinda regularly,...but I remind myself that somebody, somewhere, has it worse off than me...and I'm lucky I'm not them!

I think the years have made me a little less bitter.

A couple of years ago, even like three years ago I was a really sad, depressed person. And while I still can get depressed sometimes, I am still pretty positive and happy overall. I just get my lows now and then.

I think my old internet forum accounts were probably of me trolling other people and being a general ass to others because I felt bad about myself.

I feel like my situation is similar to Cherry's in terms of changing for the better. I still get into some funks as well, but generally I think I'm pretty positive. Or try to be anyway.

lol, I don't think I've gotten bitter over the years. I mean, no, I don't smile as much, and yes, life is alot harder living as an adult that it ever was in my free and salad days. but if anything, I think I've just grown wiser, and a little more cautious. although, saying that, it is actually my life's goal to grow up into a bitter a shrivelled up old man who moans about everything and anything, as is my English birthright ��