Unveiling The Human Behind The Steemian. My Adaptation of Steemgigs' Mission & Vision

I have been a part of the Steemit platform for 80 days as of this writing. In those 80 days, I have found a mountain of information about culture, the arts, foreign places, food, religion, cryptocurrency and so much more. I have spent those 80 days immensely enjoying fiction from various writers, in awe of great artworks, being transported to foreign places through the most detailed reviews , and learning about other people as much as about myself.

The most pleasant thing about those 80 days is the time I got to interact with the people who make up this wonderful platform. It could be through the comments left on my own posts or the replies I got from leaving a comment on others'. I find this truly amazing because I wouldn't have been able to do this in any of the other platforms I use. In facebook, I only accept friend requests from people I personally know and in Instagram, I personally know all those who are following me. There would have been no way for me to find out about a fellow steemian who lives just about 7 km from our residence and is now someone I consider family, I wouldn't have been able to commend someone from Thailand for way she promotes her country, and I wouldn't have known about this wonderful island girl living by the steemit ocean.

The Island Girl, @sunnylife

I first came in contact with @sunnylife after I posted a blog about a day I spent at Alinaga Music and Arts Project, she left a very touching comment on that post of mine and I decided to check her account. I read her most recent posts and my first thought was that she picked a really good username; it suits her very well - her words radiate the warmth of the sun. I felt that should I have a bad day, I would definitely go looking for her account so I started following her. @sunnylife posts almost everyday and so I always get to leave a comment that she would then reply to. In one of her replies, I found out that she actually lives by the ocean, THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!!! I started perusing her account for her older posts. I understand that may sound creepy so let me just say that I've always loved the ocean. @steemitph and I are still debating whether we should retire high up in the mountains or by the beach and @sunnylife's posts might be able to tell us if life by the ocean really is the life I imagine it to be. To my delight, I found more than what I was looking for.

I discovered that I've already come across @sunnylife before she left that comment on my post. A week before I started following her, she authored an open letter to our President, thanking him for all his hard work. I remember reading that post and giving it an upvote but I don't recall @sunnylife being the one who posted it. I am from Davao, where President Duterte was elected Mayor seven times and served our city for twenty-two years. Though I do not pick a fight with people who don't share my views about him, I appreciate the people who do and I am happy that @sunnylife is one them.

I also found out that she lives in Andalucia. I first came to know Andalucia through Coelho's The Alchemist. The first few pages of the book tells of its countryside where the protagonist, Santiago, was. He was leading his flock of sheep to another town where they will be sheered. Ever since, I've wanted to visit Spain and go to Andalucia but I never imagined that I might know someone there.

Like me, @sunnylife loves nature. She spends a lot of time outdoors, biking or walking with her husband. In her posts, she shares beautiful sunsets, lovely flowers, and green meadows that is part of her everyday life.

artwork by @sunnylife

I could say those are the reasons why I like @sunnylife but that would be wrong, because the reason why I look forward to her posts is the positivity she radiates. The way she is free while acknowledging restrictions. The way she warmly replies to anyone who leaves a comment on her posts. The way she treats everyone like an old friend, and how much she values helping others. The other day when Steemit.com was down, she immediately sent me a direct message in Discord to let me know where I could still check my account. She also sent me a picture of seashells forming my name on the sand. Seeing her artwork sent me working on my stitching cloth. It is one the of sweetest gestures anyone has shown me and it will always be something I will treasure.

@surpassinggoogle always talk about unveiling the Human behind the Steemian, and I would like to think that I have found my own way of doing just that. I have personally met two other Steemians and I will tell you how much they inspire me too, but I will pause for now. As always, I will take my time; I want to make sure I do justice to our story. In the meantime, I will be looking out for you too and hope that you all will be part of my Steemit journey.

Photo Sources

President Duterte
The Alchemist