Wednesday, March 22, 2017

A Diversity of Friends to Celebrate

I'm still barely hanging on with my B2MeM stories, writing and posting them on the date that they are due. Today's is in the works, but only a few paragraphs are written so far. I need a bit more on the page before I post, or I'll have to change my format and see if I can warp my ideas into a drabble instead. No time to waste though, because I have my income tax appointment tonight and still have a list of things to get gathered for it. Today's going to be a busy day!


What is it with guys hanging off cliffs? When I
went searching for a good photo for this image, I
couldn't believe the number of pictures out there
of guys doing this. It would totally FREAK me out! 


I had to unfriend someone yesterday and feel terrible about it. She had done nothing wrong, and I had followed her posts for many years. But her posts were extremely long and never used a cut, so there was no way to run through them quickly, and on some days there were as many as 15 of them. I'm fighting time right now - I want to write, I'm doing inventory at the shop, I'm cleaning because it's Spring (or Summer, or Fall, or Winter), and I needed to hone my in-basket down a bit. So, despite the guilt, I messaged her, apologized and told her that I needed to remove her from my active list, and did it later that day after she responded. It will, in the end, be a relief.


Sometimes hard decisions have to be made. I hate
to unfriend people, but paths do diverge and people
do change over time. 


Lots of people have unfriended me over the years. They didn't agree with what I wrote or what I said. I am unapologetic about my hippie views, and I sometimes do step boldly into the fray on other occasions. I've missed the interchange between those people and me, but in the long run, life does go on. So even though I still miss some friends years after the fact, other friends have taken their places. One nice thing is that I've branched out and now also have friends who are not Tolkien enthusiasts, or writers or ... or ... or. These newer friends who have such different interests are interesting, even fascinating, people from all over the world and all walks of life. Sometimes it's nice to know there are people out there who don't get involved in the minutiae of JRRT.


I enjoy my LJ friends, and love their diversity
and their passion. They are intelligent, versatile,
artistic and creative individuals who make
my life better by sharing theirs with me. 


But thank goodness for my Tolkien friends. They are my foundation and the friends I've had for the longest time. There is something satisfying about digging into a volume of HOME to research one little fact, or discussing a single line in "The Silmarillion" and knowing that the people you're discussing it with know the book as well, or better, than you do. I'll lift my coffee in a toast to all of you later this morning.


It's never easy to open up to others. The fact that we
not only do that, but create vibrant communities of
people who have never met, or rarely meet in real
life is nothing short of amazing! 


So here's to friends - old, new, and yet to come. Take a look around you. Who are your long-time and new friends? What are their interests? Choose one today and message them. Tell them that they are important to you and that you  really enjoy sharing the days with them. Happy Wednesday! Enjoy!


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