Yes, it's that magical time of year again for me. My birthday approaches and instead of going out and partying, I take the time to reflect back on what's changed for me in the past year.
One of the biggest changes for me would be my life around the TMF. Sounds stupid, but bear with me because it's very much the truth. Since my last birthday, I've become more active around the forum, learned I had more friends around here than I thought, made more new friends than I ever thought I'd make in my entire life and went to my first gathering and my first NEST.
So what does all that mean? To me, it means I'm not the social outcast I always thought I was. Just the friends I've made alone proves that. It's funny because I used to think, like many others I'm sure, that online friendships are not the same as friends you have in real life. But when you meet those friends face to face for the first time, it gives one a sense of completeness. You already KNOW the person, and now you see them as a real person for the first time and you know everything is cool. It's a strange, yet wonderful feeling. Believe me, online friends are just as real as real life friends because just one meeting changes the status of "online" to the other.
My first gathering was a long time coming. While I wouldn't say I was nervous about going, I was a bit apprehensive. But a friend helped me get past that. See? Right back to friends, just like always. I was friends with Cassi since she had originally joined the forum under the name Enny years ago, but while we chatted often, we had never met. But the day we were fixing to leave to go to Albany, she arrived from VA to ride with us. When we stood in front of each other for the first time, she hugged me tight. And then wouldn't let go. We stood outside in the wonderfully frigid January air of PA for about 10 minutes. It was a long overdue hug and neither of us was willing to let it go too quickly. That was the point when I realized I had nothing to worry about.
One of the best things about that particular gathering was the friendships that were formed. Jay and I had been talking for awhile, but in Albany, we became the best of friends that we are now. Nicki was an unexpected surprise as I hadn't spoken to her before, but I suppose smoking in the cold can help to forge friendships as well. And then, there is Mistress Aura and her husband Bill. At first, they seem like such an unlikely pair, but they are absolutely the best kind of people you'd ever want to meet and I'm glad I did. And I met and became friends with so many others there, it's mind-boggling to me sometimes. It was also a chance to cement friendships I had already had with people like Lyz, Jo, Amanda, Dave, Sarah, Lee, Ray, Tracy and so many others. Even after NEST, I think my favorite will always be my first.
Speaking of NEST, after over 9 years as a TMF member, dating back to the old board, I finally went. It was slightly different from my first gathering in the sense I wasn't just meeting forum friends for the first time. I was getting to see others I hadn't seen in months. That feeling you get when you see a loved one for the first time in a long time was a strong feeling for me those first couple days. I only wish I had gotten the time to talk to more of the people I met, as well as spend time with old forum friends I finally got to meet face to face, like lite and kwil, kered, bugs, Tamia and the list goes on and on.
To sum up, not much has changed in my offline life over the past year: same girlfriend, same job, same pain-in-the-ass kid, same home, same problems, etc. However, I feel it was still a great year for me just in the amount of people I made as friends. And this coming year is showing to be even better, with the chance to go to more gatherings, parties and, best of all, my girlfriend will be getting to experience these things with me. So here's to another great year. I'll report back in 365 days to let you know how it went.
One of the biggest changes for me would be my life around the TMF. Sounds stupid, but bear with me because it's very much the truth. Since my last birthday, I've become more active around the forum, learned I had more friends around here than I thought, made more new friends than I ever thought I'd make in my entire life and went to my first gathering and my first NEST.
So what does all that mean? To me, it means I'm not the social outcast I always thought I was. Just the friends I've made alone proves that. It's funny because I used to think, like many others I'm sure, that online friendships are not the same as friends you have in real life. But when you meet those friends face to face for the first time, it gives one a sense of completeness. You already KNOW the person, and now you see them as a real person for the first time and you know everything is cool. It's a strange, yet wonderful feeling. Believe me, online friends are just as real as real life friends because just one meeting changes the status of "online" to the other.
My first gathering was a long time coming. While I wouldn't say I was nervous about going, I was a bit apprehensive. But a friend helped me get past that. See? Right back to friends, just like always. I was friends with Cassi since she had originally joined the forum under the name Enny years ago, but while we chatted often, we had never met. But the day we were fixing to leave to go to Albany, she arrived from VA to ride with us. When we stood in front of each other for the first time, she hugged me tight. And then wouldn't let go. We stood outside in the wonderfully frigid January air of PA for about 10 minutes. It was a long overdue hug and neither of us was willing to let it go too quickly. That was the point when I realized I had nothing to worry about.
One of the best things about that particular gathering was the friendships that were formed. Jay and I had been talking for awhile, but in Albany, we became the best of friends that we are now. Nicki was an unexpected surprise as I hadn't spoken to her before, but I suppose smoking in the cold can help to forge friendships as well. And then, there is Mistress Aura and her husband Bill. At first, they seem like such an unlikely pair, but they are absolutely the best kind of people you'd ever want to meet and I'm glad I did. And I met and became friends with so many others there, it's mind-boggling to me sometimes. It was also a chance to cement friendships I had already had with people like Lyz, Jo, Amanda, Dave, Sarah, Lee, Ray, Tracy and so many others. Even after NEST, I think my favorite will always be my first.
Speaking of NEST, after over 9 years as a TMF member, dating back to the old board, I finally went. It was slightly different from my first gathering in the sense I wasn't just meeting forum friends for the first time. I was getting to see others I hadn't seen in months. That feeling you get when you see a loved one for the first time in a long time was a strong feeling for me those first couple days. I only wish I had gotten the time to talk to more of the people I met, as well as spend time with old forum friends I finally got to meet face to face, like lite and kwil, kered, bugs, Tamia and the list goes on and on.
To sum up, not much has changed in my offline life over the past year: same girlfriend, same job, same pain-in-the-ass kid, same home, same problems, etc. However, I feel it was still a great year for me just in the amount of people I made as friends. And this coming year is showing to be even better, with the chance to go to more gatherings, parties and, best of all, my girlfriend will be getting to experience these things with me. So here's to another great year. I'll report back in 365 days to let you know how it went.
