You @riverflows are one of the most generous, upbeat, kind, and down to earth persons I have met here on the blockchain... and I genuinely mean that from my heart!
The one downer I would have to say is the sense of anticipation one gets when they first start out on the blockchain, I am fairly new myself so I am going off my most recent experience. By this I mean, I didn't start out on the blockchain in anticipation of any type of monetary reward, for me it is all about the acceptance. So, when you first start out with high expectations that everyone is gonna love you and upvote you right out of the starting gate, it might be a bit of a let down... when you see your posts making pittance, it is a tough pill to swallow and I know that pretty much every newbie will encounter this.
My first upper feeds off the downer and is to say that "don't worry, it will happen with some effort". I am in no way suggesting your payouts will be huge if that is what you are here for, but I will say that if you put a little effort into finding your community, then your rewards will be huge! You will meet your family, your tribe, your place! It's all about the community, and once you start interacting on Discord you will meet the most wonderful people which will lead you down new adventurous paths, traveling the world (yes, you meet people from everywhere and learn about where they live and then you can dream and imagine), you will start digging deep within yourself from your communications with others.... you eventually become a better person, be it small or be it big!
My second upper is the capacity. Life is not about the destination, it is about the journey. In my opinion, nothing beats the journey of life-long learning! Whether it be from the many wonderful posts, the fantabulous people you meet, the communities you join, the challenges you take on to understand the blockchain and Discord and formatting and image fixing, or anything.... you are learning. You are feeding your mind and brain which in turn may help prevent alzheimer's and dementia. You are growing and changing and experiencing things you may never have thought possible. You are walking paths you may never have walked before and journeying in ways only previously possible by transportation, now you can reach it through access of the internet. The capacity of what the blockchain holds is not limited to your front porch, it is only limited by your imagination.
Thanks @riverflows for the opportunity to participate in another generous and selfless act from you! 🍬
@thistlerock, sometimes I'm suprised to remember you haven't been here that long - you came out with your intelligence, kindness and great comments and interactions from the get go, making you a perfect Steemian!! I love this comment - it's thoughtful and inspiring! And thanks so so much for your kind words about ME! I had to read them a few times just because they were so lovely!!! Thank YOU!