I Hit the Trifecta. Here. At the Edge

Surely, I have. How? By participating.

“Come on…you’re talking the virtual world, not the real world!” 

Your point? I never imagined when I launched GirlieOnTheEdge so many years ago, the riches that were waiting to be collected.

“Riches?! As in for free?”

Yes/No. Nothing in life is free. The ticket of life got us into this show/onto this ride/into this game. The rest – well, the rest is up to us. The price paid exacted in direct proportion to effort/drive and desire. Agreed?

“Um…I don’t know….is that a trick question?”

No tricks, my friend. Never. Misdirection on occaision, but no tricks. LOL  What was that? Speak up, don’t be afraid. I’m not going to bite!

“The Trifecta thing, tell me about it.”  

Life, Love and the Pursuit of Happiness.

“Pfww. Go on! How can a blog give you all that?”

It’s not the blog itself, it’s what manifests because of the blog. Because of the people who visit, who participate. It’s me when I respond and participate. It’s about being present. It’s about exchange. It’s about growth/understanding.

What’s to understand? People write stuff, you comment, they comment. What’s the big deal?”

The big deal, friend, is that there’s an entire planet of people with whom to share and exchange. People who can teach you things and in turn learn from you. It’s a community without judgement. A community that fosters participation on a scale we older folks have never seen. No pretense. Simple. Honest.

“Get the f out of town! You can’t seriously think that? It’s the virtual world, man. People like it ‘cuz they can pretend to be someone else, there’s no accountability ‘cuz no one’s ‘real’.”

Wow. What a narrow, sad view. In the spirit of full disclosure (‘cuz that’s what I decided 5 minutes ago, that this year was gonna be about) I’m going to tell you a secret. To quote me (and the famous person (got to be one) who first expressed it You gotta give a little to get a little (or something along those lines).

I’m participating in Lizzi’s (she’s one of those real, virtual people you’re so cynical about)Ten Things of Thankful Bloghop. To be honest, I’m in a bit of a hurry. See, I read a couple of TToT posts this morning and I can’t wait to try and read all of them. Eager to read what’s happening, near, far, clear across the other side of the planet, with folks I’m slowly getting to know. (I’m a clark, whadya want lol) And if you wanted me to fully disclose my feelings about all these folks, I’d say simply, sometimes I get intimidated.

“Whadya mean? What’s so intimidating about reading what someone did over the holidays? Or about someone quitting their job or getting fired or having a baby or wanting to have a baby or dealing with disease, aging parents, learning disabilities, homelessness, divorce. What’s so special about reading about any of that stuff?”

*Sigh* It’s life my friend. It’s what goes on around us every day. In the blogosphere, opportunity is limitless. To be part of the creative process, to be supportive, offer encouragement, commiserate, empathize. It is not only cathartic, it is a platform for identification. It opens the door to privilege. The privilege to share in another’s life, their accomplishments, their losses, their challenges, their dreams.

“Wow, when you put it like that, it is intimidating! Where do I start 🙂

P.S. If I can quote Lisa, from her TToT today at The Meaning of Me …. “That’s it for me, friends. I’m certain that I’ve hit ten in there…”