Happy Birthday! One Year on Steemit

I write for the lovers, their arms
Round the griefs of the ages,
Who pay no praise or wages
Nor heed my craft or art.
―Dylan Thomas

I was intending to post my usual poem tonight but steemitboard sent me the message seen in the title and I realized that much as I hate to stand back and look at what I've been doing, I need to acknowledge this milestone.

One Year on Steemit.

If you're like me, you hate Birthdays and special occasions―they just add pressure and stress and some of my worst experiences are tied to Hallmark occasions―the exception being my wedding day―thanks, @countrygirl :)

I celebrate special occasions for other people, not for me. I hate tributes and it sickens me the way Hollywood is forever honouring its own. UGH!

The other day @lydon.sipe wrote a post in his community series entitled what day are you living for?

Lydon is such a positive guy, matched only by my wife, @countrygirl, and on this post they were spreading positive vibes to beat the band.

I, of course, was grinding my teeth because any mention of bucket list or legacy, or even tangentially referring to the aforesaid, makes me very nervous. I say nervous as a euphemism, but where I came from, you don't want to get me nervous.

So, I wrote back words to the effect that I could care less about my legacy and I never think about such things. (Yeah, I know, I'm writing this, but if you read my writing you know I'm conflicted).

But I didn't stop there. (I should have.) Oh no, I went on to ask Lydon if he read The Mayor of Casterbridge and had he seen the Mayor's last will and testament? And then I quoted it:

that I be not bury’d in consecrated ground.
that no sexton be asked to toll the bell.
that nobody is wished to see my dead body.
that no mourners walk behind me at my funeral.
that no flours be planted on my grave
& that no man remember me

Yeah, talk about anti-legacy―I'd say that's extreme even for me.

So, as I said at the outset I felt compelled to acknowledge this milestone, but realized it's not about me. It's about all the wonderful people I've met on steemit. Don't worry, I'm not going to wave the steemit flag and say, steem on! I hate that too.

What I am going to say is what @ericvancewalton once said in a post―that steemit is very special to me as a writer. It gives me a forum besides Twitter, Goodreads and Amazon to get my work out there and get feedback in more than 140 characters. (Okay, sometimes it's less of a response, but I always say thanks, and I mean it.)

There were many heart-breaking times when I put up really good posts and they earned nothing - literally, nothing. No views, no rewards, no responses.

As a writer, you have to be prepared for that. There is a marketing side to writing―hell, even to steemit. You have to be patient and try to figure out what works for you without compromising your basic values and vision(what marketers call your brand―I also hate that word too).

When you read my writing you will find it's generally wholesome except for some artistic depictions (Let's face it, I have to realistically represent the world).

I try to be kind and supportive of others, particularly struggling writers and poets and I try to stay out of controversy because controversy makes me nervous, and as we now know, you don't want to make me nervous.

I would like to acknowledge the few people with whom I've had a more intimate relationship on steemit and whose work I admire: @countrygirl (of course!), @creatr, @lydon.sipe, @merej99, and @cristof. There are others I'm currently getting to know and I hope they too will eventually become intimate friends.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge some people who supported me along the way: @ats-david, @blocktrades, @thecryptofiend, @sweetsssj, @slowwalker.

People who regularly follow, comment and up-vote are @awgbibb, @ebryans, @tinajordan, @buckydurddle, @cecicastor, @littlerph, @protegeaa and @mimy.

I have many other followers who occasionally comment or up- vote and I appreciate their support as well.

I'm looking forward to an enjoyable second year on steemit. Thank you all for making Year one so memorable.

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