An Ode to the Community

…some of you are like a best friend or very close sibling–always cheering me on and giving advice when needed.

…some of you are like a mother or grandmother–offering sage wisdom and sometimes (only sometimes) gently scolding me for not seeing the bigger, better picture when I’m down on myself or uncertain about the world.

…all of you together are like a large, slightly dysfunctional, but always supportive extended family.

And so are my thoughts about the WordPress Community.

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I have been reflecting lately on how much I know you all…really know you. Even though we’ve never met in person (besides you three from college and you know who you are), through your own writings and our frequent exchanges, I see your unique personalities, your passions, the things that make you shine so bright as well as, sometimes, your struggles. Blogging can be and very much is an extraordinarily personal endeavor. I know some of you better than I know some of my family members, even some of my better friends.

As an introvert, I’ve always had trouble connecting with people–as much as I want to, hope to, wish to be connected, sometimes I just can’t click. The blogosphere, then, has opened up this amazing space for me to get to know people in my own time–a bit slower, a bit sweeter, but so rewarding. There is no fear of small talk in the blogosphere (after all, there’s always a photograph or a piece of writing to comment on, express a thought about, present a new idea in regards to). There is no need to worry about awkward silences (a general benefit of communicating online, I guess). Although I do like meeting people in person and enjoy getting to know those people, the getting to know part requires so much extra effort on my part and that is so unbelievably draining. I don’t have to worry about that here in the blogosphere, though. Getting to know you all is just a natural afterthought in a space that was built for sharing.

To make it all the better, so many of of the people I’ve met here are so unbelievably friendly, so eager to reach out. I never imagined when I started this blog that I’d find so many amazing and wonderful friends.

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Back before I graduated, I was terrified of loneliness. It’s not that I was afraid of being alone–no, I thrive on that–but rather, it was the idea of not having anyone to go to, to confide in, to talk to…to love. Just a few months ago, I was so afraid to leave the friend group that I had grown to love so much at college, to move out into a world full of strangers.

Now? Now, I’m still a bit nervous–though more so really excited–to go out into the world, but I realized not too long ago that I’m no longer afraid of loneliness.

No matter where I end up, no matter how far away from my family and friends, the blogosphere will always be a click away for me. Hell, even if I’m in a place where I don’t have internet for a while, it will still be there waiting for me when I reach a wifi hotspot…and you all will be there waiting with it.

Of course, I know that my family and friends will always be there for me, too. They will always be a phone call, a skype date, a facebook message away. Even if I’m physically around strangers, there are so many people I have in my life who love me and who will be there for me despite the distance. Yet, having the blogosphere–this entirely different group of friends near and far (mostly far) right here on WordPress…

Well, I can’t even begin to describe the positive impact this community has had on my life.

You all seem so close even though many of you live halfway around the world.

And there is something so inexplicably beautiful about that.

You inspire me.

You support me.

You give me confidence and strength.

You are just as much my friends as those I hold dear from college. 

I feel like I’ve know you all for ages…and I hope to keep knowing you for a good long time.

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Yeah, so not really an ode in the traditional sense, but I liked the way the word sounded in the title, so there.

YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!