It's totally wild to think how fast this year has gone by! This time last year I had made my account here, and was completely lost on what was going on. Resource credits?! Communities?! Rules?
I was on Steemit for a few months back in 2017, and none of that existed as far as I know. You threw a post up with 5 tags and hoped someone, ANYONE, noticed it. That seemed about it. It was a pretty wild land, one where the rules (if they existed) were never outlined to me.
That was never an issue here on Hive. From day one I received help, so much in fact that I could never properly thank all of the people who reached out to show me the way. Soon, many became dear friends... I thought it over, and I've decided not to tag anyone in this post.
Half of the reason for that, is that as it turns out, helpers seem to dislike being tagged. I was confused by this for my first several months here, then it clicked. The other half is that this would quickly become a tag fest, and I don't want to be that gal. Instead, I will thank people tag free.
Thank You to the Hivians who Help!
I was dug out of my confusion by the awesome people who run The Terminal, and members of Ladies of Hive. In particular, my first week I was helped by a most curious mainstay of the LOH community— one with a beard! 😱 Yeah, he was not a lady at all, but very much of the Hive. He helped me meet so many new people, and emboldened me to branch out.
Soon, I was hanging out in Dreemport, where I met another Hivian and close friend who would go on to always tell me like it is. She kindly told me that my posts were an eyesore— but she did so with help in hand. I would go on to cherish her advice on everything under the sun this past year.
She became my mom of choice, and also introduced me to my Hive family @thealliance, which has so many people in it that I've come to know and love. There's that friendly feline who never forgets the newbees, and never ceases to surprise you with her knowledge and care.
The vulgar guy who says the craziest things, yet has one of the biggest hearts you've ever seen. He'll tell you to be you no matter what. And the gang of faces that would turn this post into a novel if I described each one.
I must mention the soft-spoken sweetheart however, the one who could be a supermodel, but is the picture of humble. And I can't forget the squirrel who will make you hungry no matter what. She shares momma wisdom and Halloween decor ideas, and somehow still ties in bacon. ❤️
This brings to mind two Irish fellas who I got to know in different ways here. One won't see this post probably, but rekindled my belief in kind people at a time that I was epically depressed.
The other is a fellow writer, one who recently became a dad! He shared so many helpful tips with me, from writing to understanding tokens. A rocking gem that many know well around here. 🤘
I met a cool lady who lives across the globe on Hive around this time. She shared a post that had the MF expletive in it about 100 times, and I knew she was a bud. She reminds me each time I read her posts that as ladies, we can be strong AND sweet.
And then one day I tried to post in HTML at the insistence of that bearded dude I mentioned early on. He linked me a post on HTML, and its author would end up saving me in so many ways. First, he fixed my broken mess of formatting code after my initial attempt. And then he began to fix things I didn't even realize were broken as I got to know him. The universe is ridiculous. 💞
I soon met a bridge builder who I now talk to almost daily, he shares my problematic body issues, and reminds me to be thoughtful. He would go on to introduce me to another soul who I talk to most days— a coffee goddess who isn't afraid to show the world her face in the boldest of ways.
My days on Hive are quite different than they were when I first joined, yet I still feel the magic of how this blockchain brings people together constantly. I have changed so much in the last year, and I can absolutely say it would not have happened if I hadn't met the people I did here.
I am of the nature to get unbelievably gushy, so I will switch lanes before I cry big Grindan tears all over this post... I celebrated today by powering up to reach dolphin— my one-year goal, made just in time. I did it! And I could not have done so without all the peeps I mentioned!
I feel that now is a great time to also shout out the initiatives that support small fish— in particular the people who support HPUD. I was lucky enough to win prizes a handful of times my first 6 months here, and that helped my growth tremendously. I won't tag ya, but big ups to Traciyork , Fionasfavourites, Coquicoin, and Lizelle for the support you give to new Hivians!
There are easily two dozen additional people I'd like to mention here, but I had better not make this a book...
One year out, here is my achievement board provided by HiveBuzz:
Getting the daily top voted TWICE was an incredible honor to me, one that inspires me to share more of my work here this year. I hope to get back to writing fiction here, and the part of me that isn't so critical of each word I choose. I also feel like this is a great time to make another year long goal— I would like to hit 10k HP by my next Hive Birthday. Think I can do it? Me too! ❤️😁
If you are new here, and reading this post, my best advice to you is ENGAGE! People appreciate hearing your thoughts on their work, but you may also make some true-blue friends from that simple comment. I feel grateful to have hit dolphin in my first year, but even more so... I am endlessly grateful for the people who are in my life just because I joined Hive.
I hope this post inspires someone else to see what they can achieve in a year here! A big thank you to all the people who make Hive a place beyond a superficial social media site! I'm excited to see what the next year brings for us all! ❤️🥂
