Yup, there’s hot-headed folks all around but I’m bound & determined not to get sucked into it. Fiddling helps a lot.

Yes, for sure, fiddling helps more than anything. My problem now is I cannot play any music and so I've lost the healing and respite nature that playing music gives us. Now I'm lost in the wilderness of difficulties and stress MINUS the music that heals...ouch. But it's not a good enough excuse to go wild as a hot head...lol...so no more of that from me (I hope).

Well i'm trying my best to lighten up here...doctors are repeatedly warning me that my stress levels are making me very unwell...I need to protect my own health and take care of family. I'm afraid that after going around and around with a member over my usage of "wake up the sound forum" apparently struck him as somehow insulting and nasty...I logged off at that time, but I can't play and I do miss some discussion on playing. But apparently we are back at it again, same member upset with my wording, reading intentions that I never meant. Finding my tolerance levels unsustainable a t the moment...I think for my own health and hubby's health I need to log off again. Sorry. I tried...but was not successful. I need to stay away from people who stress me out.

I somehow missed the "wake up the sound forum" imbroglio but not the recent thread. Few of us are free from the worry of what others think of us, and the latest thread really features that almost more than the actual topic. People have individual responses to feeling attacked or misunderstood, but everybody deals with it. Some lash out, some retreat, some are philosophical. Some lack the capacity to be philosophical. Some are hyper-sensitive to any hint of it, becoming defensive with no real cause.

I wish you didn't feel you had to retreat. You are philosophical and quirky and that comes through beautifully whether it's about fiddles or about life. If engaging here on the forum causes more stress than it should then, yes, take a break. But really, you are not a problem.

Did you? I am unaware ... You're not too hot headed, dear groundhogpeggy, you're amazing and I wished I could better decypher your texts hehe, because I'm pretty sure I at least could see the humor behind it, if I were more proficient in your language. I like people with strong opinions and all- human emotions and deep passions.
Wish to hear you sooner or later on the fiddle again...or perhaps the viola? ( I am hopeful!! )
You have been a major influence on my perception of rebellious cross tuning and a great inspiration in my search for old time spirit.
Please stay strong, don't be harsh on yourself, instead celebrate yourself even with fierce emotions and smile for who you are, there is only one groundhogpeggy , and whether you would be hysterically euphoric or super easy going chill or dramatically hot headed, we love you in every single way with whatever kind of mood in whatever kind of circumstances.

@groundhogpeggy:

I'm actually—at this very moment—a proud, gone-crazy, completely wild, hot-headed Flemish fiddler, I admit.

Here on FHO I try to behave well, stay polite, and avoid quarrels. But somewhere out there, I just took a unique opportunity to give quite a few seemingly hopelessly divided Flemings something to think about.

On our national holiday—which only ended a few hours ago—I rallied around the flag. Not the Belgian tricolour, but our controversial Flemish flag, which has been flying from my bathroom window since midnight yesterday.

"Down with the traitors and up with the flag!" 

No, I don't actually mean that literally. I just couldn't resist a bit of theatrical exaggeration. My hope is simply that it nudges a few people to question some long-held assumptions and to think for themselves instead of automatically accepting whatever narrative they've been handed.

If even a handful of people start asking honest questions about what they believe—and searching for thoughtful answers rather than jumping to wild conspiracies—then perhaps the seed has been planted.

That's enough for me to sleep well tonight.

Fiddle For The World & my Ziva For The Win.