Hello, shy lurkers, wounded wanderers, lonelyhearts and inspired explorers.
In a way I think of the board as like the beach. Look up Mudpuppy who has some great riverbank notions, too.
I think of....calm, placid surf, bright sunny days to gather and swim and relaaaaax in nature and in good company.
And then the ocean can get very dramatic and threatening. Even destructive to the isolated surfer. And, there are sharks.
In two years here, I've seen much more bright weather than hurricanes, though. Some sharks have turned out to be misunderstood porpoises. A very few were great whites. Some got harpooned by Doc G.
Welcome welcome welcome and don't fear. Remember ALWAYS that you own your voice. You are not obligated to follow anyone else's lead, respond to questions you don't want to respond to, get into subject areas that are unwelcome or traumatic, visit backchannel by PM (or respond to or receive PMs).
Please remember too that this is all typed words in cyberspace. And screen names. I have found a big thing to be true for me here:
LOVE and SERENITY come through cyberspace so very clearly, when I need support and comfort.
CHAOS and SELF-ABSORPTION come through kind of muddily. As though sediment is all stirred up.
For me the board has given many lessons in learning, day by day, that I really am in charge of my own reactivity. A radical notion for the child of a histrionic N. And in charge of choosing what I "let in". It's okay to read or to skip voices that feel sharky. It's okay to do whatever you like. You'll sense what works, what doesn't. And the group has its own wisdom -- like an ecosystem. So maybe that's why it's such a good experience overall. It astounds me how much a person can grow based on an online experience.
If you feel voiceless or vulnerable, lean on those who offer compassion and who appear to be hearing you, reaching you where you are. Perhaps be less quick to lean on those who gush or drown you in assurances or instantly switch the subject back to themselves.
Just two cents, and there are so many wise ones here who have pockets full of gold...
Welcome, whenever you are ready.
with love,
Hopalong
