A Post Resplendent With Ever-Enduring Gratitude
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http://www.steemimg.com/images/2017/02/23/20151970e150.jpg
 *I'm as happy with Steemit as Flavia (The Flizzard) was when she helped us tie dye a shirt!*

I have been meandering the digital halls of Steemit for the past three months, and I often catch myself pondering about how I came to discover this amazing platform of creative sharing. One feeling climbs atop all of the others as I reflect on plethora of awesomeness that has been my journey here thus far, and that feeling would be gratitude.

It might be apparent as you look at my blog that I am a librarian. If not, no worries, for as soon as you read one of my posts the weirdness will most likely shine through, like phosphorescent plankton on Mescaline. One of the cool things about being a librarian is that you get to meet interesting people. The thing that surpasses that tidbit of coolness is the quality of your co-workers. @jacobtothe has had the great misfortune of being stuck with me in a building full of mixed literary and visual media for the past few years. I know this post is supposed to be about gratitude, but he might appreciate it if you took a moment of silence to feel some sympathy for him now that I have revealed that he has had to suffer my physical presence. Luckily for JT, he has recently moved on to the Outreach department of our library network. His @generikat proximity sentence is over!

Last August @jacobtothe came striding into the library and immediately launched into this truly enthusiastic elucidation about this new, decentralized, block chain blogging platform where you were paid by your peers for the quality of your content. JT is always telling me about things of amazingness, as one can glean from a cursory glance at his most excellent blog. I have learned all manner of knowledge regarding many topics from listening to him. How to construct and paint miniature models, a never-ending supply of puns and dry jokes, the ins and outs of engineering, what and how to be a bad Quaker, and my favorite JT contribution into my life as of late, how to play Magic Commander/EDH. 

That of course is a small list of JT's contributions to the tapestry of my life, but to be fair, I just stored the Steemit offering in the *"too be examined at a later date"* department of my mind and continued shelving paranormal teen romance novels. You see, August is county fair month for our family, and to be honest, all I had room for at that moment was 4H books, animal clippers, camping arrangements, show clothes, and about a million other bits of fair mind-paraphernalia to consider. There was definitely no room at the cognitive inn for any other pursuits in my life, intellectual or otherwise. 

Fast forward to November, I had just read another of JT's Steemit posts that he had shared on his Facebook wall. *"Hmmm...,"* I remember thinking as I perused the Steemit sign up page, *"I should give this a try."*  Now, I have always been a writer. I have my dragon and unicorn stories from the third grade. In high school I was assigned to write about the [Battle of Liege](http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/liege.htm), and I proceeded to turn in an epic historical romance that made my teacher cry (Hey! I got an A). What I didn't have was confidence in myself or my writing. Steemit has given me a huge dose in the confidence department! There is the awe that you feel when you get your first like; it matters not whether it is your first or hundredth post. The memory of giddiness that seeped through you when you got your first follower keeps you going when you are tired and don't want to fight with formatting the post that you are currently working on. For me, the biggest game changer in my confidence was the first time that I got a comment that expressed an enjoyment gleaned by a generous soul from reading my writing!

That said, for anybody that feels like quitting, I have one word for you: **DON"T**! Yes, it is hard to come up with quality content every day. Yes, it hurts the pride a bit when you post something that you think is awesome and it earns pennies, but even though post earnings are a great motivator, I have found they aren't the locus of my focus. I love the community here. I love the idea of peer decided worth, and I am truly sorry for you all, for you are stuck with me, as I am here for the long haul!!

And for that you can blame @jacobtothe LOL! 

*And as always, the image in this post was taken on the author's tie dye stained iPhone.*