It is never easy to find one's self in a place of vulnerability. That is why this post is dedicated to @shla-rafia.

Come "frolic" with me.

image source

A "frolic" is a term in the Amish tradition of socializing and coming together as a community to fulfill a practical need.
Click here to read a little about it

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@shla-rafia

I had to scroll quite a ways back to get to Marty's, aka 38PTSWarrior introduction post from five months ago.

Scrolling through his beginning posts, one definitely gets a sense of his excitement with Steemit. And who wouldn't be excited if one comment made nearly a thousand dollars? But that was in the magical times of what is known as "the July, 2016 payout".

Does one big payout offset months and months of lukewarm reception and little recognition?

Steemit is NOT easy

I've been here since July. I come from a blogging background with paid experience as a Community Moderator dating back to the 1990s. Creating content has never been an issue for me. Learning the ropes with cryptocurrency, exchanges, converting alt coin to fiat, building a following from scratch... These were all sources of frustration because the learning curve, even for an experienced blogger, was (and is) pretty steep. I am personally too stubborn to quit anything which is a huge factor in why I'm still here.

And yet Marty has persevered
after months and months of meager and frustrating results.

I'm going to be honest here: I normally would not follow @shla-rafia's posts.

I am not 100% certain but I believe English is a second language for him, so his sentence structure is doubly tough for me to tackle because I am on the autism scale.

Assessed with Asperger's, my mind trips, skips and repeats lines that don't make sense until my brain wraps around a translation it can accept. ESL posts probably take me about 3 to 4 times longer to read and folks, I do a lot of reading so the trips, skips and repeats throw me off balance. There has to be something redeeming which prompts me to slow down. I'll tell you what it is because it's not a big secret.

The redeeming factor is in getting to know Y-O-U.

Then there's the topics he talks about: mostly going out on the street and marketing Steemit. He's trying to recruit new users because he believes in this platform. He believes Steemit will get him to the next chapter of his life: a life of community support and mutual determination.

Have you seen some of the street interviews he's done?

No one wants to want. No one wants to need.

Patiently reading through his posts I can clearly see that he's been asking for help since the very beginning.

I did not notice until he literally poured his heart out about his current situation to which I am truly humbled that he felt comfortable enough to share with me...with us.

I had to investigate and learn more about this man and here's what I've found:

He has strength in the midst of extreme adversity.

Growing up, he was teased and bullied to the point of anxiety attacks and depression, and dealt with the loss of his father from suicide.^citation

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Project Semicolon:
A semicolon is used when an author could’ve ended a sentence but chose not to.
You are the author and the sentence is your life.

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There is a lesson here in patience and understanding

Like Martin's second introduction post which is full of candid photos, and certainly a cherished one of him with his dad, I am compelled to give him a second look. He's even documented his mother's story and some of her art on the blockchain as a permanent legacy. ^citation

Life is not always easy, but sometimes you have to pause to breathe and look around. Through the noise of being busy and push-marketing, Martin is not an easy follow but he's persistent, dedicated, stubborn as hell, and he needs us - a community who will take a glance and give a chance. There's a good reason why his posts have a sense of urgency.

He faces homelessness again.

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This is a 50/50 post. All proceeds in STEEM & SBD will be donated to @shla-rafia

How can you help?
#payitforward

• Direct donation - send STEEM or SBD directly to the recipient.
• Donate proceeds from your post - Write a post. State your intention to donate to a person or cause.
• Upvote and/or resteem their content
• Share their post on your other social media
• Advocate for your community because one day you may need them.

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PS - @l0k1's #payitforward post has about 4 hours to go before the 24-hour payout. Read it here

Previous post payouts:

• @klye
  
• @dailybitcoinnews
  

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A public service announcement

Learn what Steemit Witnesses do and why your votes count.

• Read @pfunk's User Guide to Steem Witnesses
• Place your educated votes for Witnesses HERE

Have a Steemit day!

^{#payitforward}