Thanks to @intelliguy and @roksivante who have asked where I was recently. To be honest, I finally crashed and burned from overexertion, stress, insomnia and hallucinations. The hacker put me over the edge. I needed a break. But now, I'm back finally. I finally got like 2 nights of full sleep.
I haven't had a vacation in well, I can't even remember the last one I took. It might have been 7 years ago. I can't really remember. I haven't allowed myself to take a vacation because I haven't had any extra money that I felt I could spend on something frivolous like a vacation. I'm a workaholic, too. I rarely take any days off to relax or do enjoyable things. I cannot remember the last time I went on a date or hung out with friends. I literally try to make every day productive in some way, either by learning, writing or making art. Deep down, I'm afraid of going broke again. And I can't go broke because I am a mother, a single mother, and another life form depends upon me for her survival.
This year, even before I found Steemit, I had resolved to take a vacation. I knew I needed it. I had completely forgotten how to take a day or days off from working. We decided to go to the East Coast, visit my brother, some friends and go to the place where wild horses live freely, in a place called Assateague Island.
When I found Steemit, I was already a paid writer, and was churning out 2-3 articles per day for various clients. I also had just finished writing my first book, Un-Crap Your Life and so I was used the rigorous writing discipline. But I was not being paid well as a writer, so I could see an amazing opportunity with Steemit. I resolved to write 2 articles per day on Steemit because I knew that in time, the site would become crowded with other great writers. I realized I was in a unique position because very few writers had entered Steemit. I was desperate to hold onto my freelance/independent station in life, and I saw Steemit as a way for me to do that.
After I had made some decent money on Steemit, I cashed out about $2500 worth and put it on a Simple bank Visa card. I used that card to fund our entire vacation. It felt really weird when I made the first purchase at a Wendy's drive-thru. I kept thinking to myself, "I wrote an article that has now turned into this hamburger." It was a really bizarre and surreal feeling. Here's my very first cryptocurrency hamburger purchase:
Speaking of surreal, we visited Steemit Headquarters as it fell right on the path we were on. Here's my daughter in front of the building where all the programming magic of Steemit happens:
While there, I video interviewed @theoretical and @dantheman. I'm still waiting on @ned to approve the video. Here's the amazing mathematical whiz, @theoretical who creates the algorithms for voting/payout calculations. He is a genius. No doubt. Vulcan, maybe, genius, definitely.
After visiting Steemit HQ, we were on our way to Assateague Island to see the wild horses. What I didn't know, though, is that not only would we see beautiful, untamed wild horses, but also a bald eagle, egrets, and yes, dolphins:
I wasn't expecting to see dolphins! Dolphins and sea creatures in general have a new meaning to my life! I also experienced being bitten by a greenhead horsefly, and ouch! it hurt. I learned too that Mako sharks are pretty common sights in the water around Assateague island. These additional creatures appeared to represent some new elements in the Steemit world. The wild ponies I feel represent the empathic and authentic people, the greenhead flies are the trolls, and the Mako sharks are the hackers:
We took a private boat tour of Assateague Island and guess who was our Captain? Captain Dan! It was weird, of course, considering that @dantheman's philosophy of non-violence has guided us all into a new world of connection, economic freedom and cooperation.
Here's Captain Dan and my daughter during the tour:
Here's some wild ponies:
I learned that the wild ponies are descended from a shipwreck that happened in the 1600's. The island on which the ponies now live is protected and humans are not allowed to live on it. This has the effect of creating an environment that is 100% wild. It's like going back into earlier times before humans existed. Assateague Island is perhaps the most fantastical place in the USA. After experiencing the raw beauty up close, I'm determined to make a home near there in the future. I'm planning on returning there next summer. I have never felt that a place was meant more for me. The ocean also is there, with waves, and on some occasions, you can see the wild ponies swimming and lounging on the beach. Can you imagine? Dreams don't get any better than this. Here's some beach photos from there:
After the dreamy experience of Assateague, the hacker descended upon my reality, disrupting the fantasy world and plunging me into darkness. I experienced hallucinations for many days, at night and in the morning. This is what my world looked like at that time:
One night I woke up and looked at this black box, It had been electrified, and in my fear-ridden, halluincatory state, I thought somehow the hacker had broken into our room and placed this box there on the wall to spy on us.
And one other time, I "saw" a series of bright green flashes that lit up our entire room:
My mind is really delicate. It gets seized with thoughts, energies and has a tendency to oversaturate itself in imagery. It soaks up whatever is going on. The lack of sleep combined with the dream-like state of Steemit, combined with the hacker seizing my funds all resulted in these hallucinations. They have calmed down now that I've had a few nights of sleep and relaxed a bit. I've regained my sanity.
This brings us to Christmas in July. I found a town called Santa Claus in Indiana. That's where we are now. We are in the Santa Claus Lodge, and yes, it's absurd. My daughter actually doesn't believe in Santa Claus because her grandma told her it's all made up when she was 4. So, she mostly says about the various Santa Claus statues, "They're creepy!". Here's a sampling of the Christmas absurdity at our hotel:
And I'd like to leave you with one last image that expresses how I feel about our imaginations. Imagination is more important than knowledge. (Einstein said this, I think).
Welcome back! Glad you got your account back, even though I didn't get hacked I can understand when you say that:
"I finally crashed and burned from overexertion, stress, insomnia and hallucinations"
It feels like I'm getting close to that too. My voting power and energy has been low lately for a long time. I'm so excited with steemit, and even though I invested early (bought 200 steem at 0.70$) I have been trying to work my ass off to help wherever I can and turn this into a success.
Over 500 comments in 2 weeks and a lot of likes and new signups on www.instagram.com/crypr0trader , also created a thread warning people from account @steemit on Instagram: https://steemit.com/steemit/@getssidetracked/the-steemit-community-on-instagram-is-growing
Its been awesome to see so many others are becoming interested in the future of blogging and social media. But it feels like a lot of comments and some posts get buried amongst spam and fakes, it makes your time feel less valued when your posts don't see the light of day.
At least I know I'm helping people out on instagram and changing their lives. @dmacshady for example is one of them and he has gotten off to a great start on steemit!
Thanks for this post, really funny dolphin picture btw, haha.
I couldn't get a good photo of the dolphins....there were three that were swimming near our boat, so yeah, i had to Enlight the dolpin to make a good photocollage.
It feels good to help people, doesn't it? The best way I think is to help as many people as you can, so that when you fall, or are attacked, victimized, whatever, you will have many around you who will help lift you out of your doom. It's like a built-in social safety net. It's not exactly selfish in origin, more like survival-centric. That's why I do it, if i can be honest. I'm scared of falling into a pit of doom again....
Dont worry its like you said a built in social safety net and this one is upgradeable and open-sourced and no one is listening to the community more than Steemit, because its the community that built it and builds it every day!
Well deserved! Great pics and welcome back!!
May I use your dolphin picture for a post in my 'Chronicles of a Dolphin Curator' series?
yes, of course! In fact, I'm making all my photos creative commons on the STEEMimg website. It's great! Creative Commons is the way to go!
Ok, I feel better now. She is back, and I know it's her, because only she writes this way. Woo hoo! :) Thanks for bringing us on your vacation by sharing it with us. It was almost like we tagged along.
This post could have been way longer.....then few would have read it! Every day can be like a vacation as long as Steemit is still AAAAAALLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVEEEEEEEE!
Thanks for your nice comments!
@stellabelle , I love your enthusiasm for Steemit. You and Brenda were the ones who got me interested in it from the Choose Yourself Facebook Group.(Of course, I know you know that but others reading this may not know) I'm glad I met you ladies there. What really convinced me was when you wrote about your $12k payout after 2 months of work with your article here. Great job. You are definitely killing it here with 2 articles per day. :)
That is the full quote for those want to know. Source
Thanks. I agree completely that it is our imaginations that need cultivation, not the memorization of facts, alone. Learning the basics, then using our imaginations to take us to far away places. That's the dream.
Thank you for this post and how you write honestly and from the heart. I am looking through your posts and am learning writing skills I never learned throughout schooling as I am not generally a great writer. I have lots of ideas and rapid thoughts, but its hard for me to put that into words that are structured properly. I also like that you are posting just a few posts a day instead of many so you have the time to reread and edit and go through what wording is best and post the best quality content you can. I suffered the most awful hallucination recently, and had to spend a day at the hospital recovering so I empathize with you. I'm glad you are part of this community. 😀
what was your hallucination? I'm very interested in this kind of thing, as I have experienced it during many times in my life. Luckily, mine go away after the stress leaves.
Mine was due to an improper medicine level and an extremely depressed state. I didn't hear voices exactly so much as urges that for some reason I had hurt to hurt my parents (I don't know how to explain it without sounding crazy, but basically for some reason I had to kill them and kill myself) it made me cry harder than I ever have because it felt so real although I knew that wasn't who i was. I was awake but at the same time in another state of mind. I went into convulsions and had to go to the hospital and basically just relax and they think I may have had a seizure. It looked like something out of the exorcist almost where I was awake but lost control of my speech and ability to stop moving. Suffice to say it was the darkest scariest moment of my life and something only someone who has had an experience like that can truly understand
ok, this sounds like a post for the secret writer. That is really scary!
If you want to share your secret, but don't want it attached to your name, you can. I split the profits 50% with whoever shares their secret. This sometimes helps people get the money and exposure that they can't do on their own https://steemit.com/secret-writer/@stellabelle/get-revenue-anonymously-how-to-submit-a-secret-to-the-secret-writer-project
Absolutely I will let you do that. I am glad to find someone who is an awesome individual that understand some of what I have gone through. Id like to raise awareness so that others don't feel alone. If it prevents one suicide or changes someone's thoughts about the stigma attached to it I am honored to help in any way I can. If you need more info and would like to ask by email, I can provide that. Whatever you need to make it easy and stress free for you as well. And what a brilliant idea for those who are shy but would like a great writer to help share the thoughts they feel alone in. This makes me so happy. Many thanks to you @stellabelle! I will guide any users I see that might benefit from that service your way. Realized I misread it so I will edit here. Cn you five me any tips you think would benefit others when I share this experience? You can absolutely edit my post I will send you as I am not a significantly skilled writer. Just a passionate person with many creative ideas ☺
I also have a few questions that maybe I can send along to better understand a few aspects of steemit that may be etiquette or that I am not completely sure of.
Look who is here?! Glad to have you back. You left a void that was very hard to fill. Excited to read more tales of your vac...
I'm sure you had lotta fun.... You truly deserve it....and much more... The past few weeks have been an exhilarating wild ride....feels like ages though.......
Welcome back... ;)
Thanks. It's good to be back.
Congrats on much needed vacation. I live in VA and have been to Assateague. I've seen the wild horse in the Outer Banks of NC. Can't wait for the interview.
What a great story.....I really enjoyed. The hallucination part was very interesting to read. I'm glad you were able to finally get in a vacation.
Congrats and great post! Im looking to do the same thing with Steemit someday too!
Stellabelle, your story and how you used steemit to fund your vacation is inspiring to myself and many people. I actually found your name on another post where they were saying you are an example of how a person should use steemit to build relationships as well. They said you comment frequently on your replies and its an example of how this new platform is going to succeed because its not just about the $$, its about connecting. I decided to look you up and read some of your posts. I'm new to steemit and just made my first post today. I thought I would share about my dogs.
https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@perkdave56/chocolate-labs-love-steemit
I hope to be building contacts and taking a vacation soon too. All the best. Dave
I love the shot of the ponies, looks like they are fighting against the wind. Was it a stormy day, or does it just look like that in the photo? - Great to have you back!
not a stormy day, just caught the tail when it was being whisked back and forth.
Sorry to hear about your stress level. I'd say you did the right thing by taking some time to yourself. Be well!
thanks
Well deserved vacation! Thanks for kicking off the community!
Great sharing, hope you have recovered fully and back in action! Luv from Asia!
thank you
Leah, I'm glad you were able to spend some quality time with your daughter on a sunny vacation with water and an early Christmas. :) You deserve it. Looks like you came through the visions ok. :)
Great story. I hope I can do the same.
Thanks for showing us what Steem Dollars can do Leah!
Right, I love the SteemBurger. There's going to a chain of these some day! :)
Nice to see people happy because steem, only for that it worth
Sorry to hear hacked account. But your story is inspired me to earn more steem pay vacation.
It's good to hear from you again. I'm especially happy to hear you've had some wonderful relaxation and renewal. Welcome back! :)
congrats, bet that burger tasted good.
Real sad about the hacker :/
ah, it was bound to happen! Next time I'm getting more sleep though!
hey welcome back! so awesome to read about the vacation!! especially the steem HQ part. I didnt know that you can actually visit!!
Thanks for sharing :)
I hand-delivered something to Steemit HQ. I didn't ask for an interview at all.
I gave them something, then was shown around. The video just came out of me asking questions, and being curious. That's my modus operandi.
good to know :) keep up the good work!
good post @stellabelle i love your vacation 8]
♠Nice story but i don't think it's right exposing your child like that
I don't mean harm, just saying
Stellabelle, i see a picture of you, so I assume that you are you. Forgive me for my paranoia after the hack, but can you please confirm you are actually yourself. I think I did something or didn't do something or said something that may have offended you (sorry if I did). Can you tell me what that was? Sorry for the very strange request!!
that is me. You can find me on Facebook or Twitter. My twitter handle is @stellabelle. That way you can feel assured of my identity. You didn't offend me. Remember, you were offended by my cussing. I cuss, I can't help it. I've given up every other vice in the world. I'm not giving up swearing, sorry.
congrat stellebelle you celebrate christmas more early :D
nice pic and the dolphins
Welcome back!
As a new writer trying out Steemit, it's nice to hear the experiences of a pioneer! I'm glad you had the chance to have a vacation. I'll be following your posts in the future!
Great post! I can definitely see why you became a writer. Glad you finally took vacation. Time with our precious babies, especially as single moms, is precious. She will cherish that forever!
@stellabelle I believe that even if steemit was not a platform where you get paid for what you write, you would still have sooooo many followers, as you have such a gift on writing from the heart like no one else. God bless your family and I wish u a prosper live so we can read all your beautiful stories.
Oh, if you ever want to visit Romania( where Dracula's castle is) you can e-mail me at [email protected] and I will be more than happy to show you the surroundings:)
Have a nice weekend ahead.
Greetings from Romania,
Gabi
I'm very happy to see you back on Steemit! This hack attack is just the latest thing that you have un-crapped from your life. Thanks for sharing the story of your vacation and all the great pics!
What a wonderful story and I am very happy you finally had your break and vacation. Sometimes overworking makes your brain fry and you cant really focus on anything and make mistakes. You are a strong woman and you should be proud of everything you have achieved! Hard work pays off eventually and Im so happy to become part of this community! I will be sharing my stories soon about the struggles of being a youtuber. Alla :) x
strong woman = survival mode. That's what makes people strong. It's the antifragility stuff. I think I am not strong as my mind is rather prone to getting overstimulated, and breaks down a bit......The hard work part fits though. Thanks!
Welcome back. You got to experience the best of worst of Steemit. So got to experience the whole range of emotions fro this platform. Glad everything is better now. My last real vacation was 4 years ago. I'm hoping to take one on Steem this year too.
yeah, take it. Especially if you haven't done so in a while. It was totally worth it.
Greetings all
Looks like a great vacation, becides the scary verizon box :) you got my upvote, and a new follower, and you're welcome to see my nature photography at https://steemit.com/@simba
Believe me, when you work you have no time for vacation , yet it is so important to have one to refuel with your closest ones, so well deserved!
Welcome back and congrats on a well deserved vacation xx
I got here, I liked reading what you had to say, you disappeared. Now you're back, still don't know you, but happy to see you all the same.
Glad you had a nice vacation. Welcome home.
i had to take a break! 4 weeks of posting 2 articles per day.....ugh......
I bet! My one article exhausted me...
congrats for deserved vacation!
i hope i will get soon, enought, to make a trip.
Such an amazing gift and what a thoughtful way to use the good luck that has come your way and use it to create new memories. I can't imagine trying to write 2-3 articles a day, I don't have that much creativity but glad that someone has it. What a unique way to share your experience with everyone, truly those around you are very blessed <3
U rock @stellabelle! Congratulation!
yeah..
the story is quite interesting
Similar to SP, SMD tokens cannot be purchased directly on an external exchange. SMD are primarily earned through contributing but can be purchased by converting STEEM tokens to SMD tokens.
Actually Steem Dollars can now purchased on external exchanges !
https://poloniex.com/exchange#btc_sbd
https://bittrex.com/Market/Index?MarketName=BTC-SBD
PS Abbreviation of SBD = Steem Backed Dollars
or just SD = Steem Dollars (not SMD please edit)
your daughter is such a cutiepie ! looks like you had a good timeout !
good
I'm so pleased you got that vacation and that you are feeling better now. I'm going to take this post as a warning though, I to have a vivid imagination that can take over if I don't look after myself.. and have barely slept in the last week since I found steemit.
Steemit hasn't paid me enough for a holiday yet but I have earned enough to pay bills, but food on the table and treat myself to a lot of yarn so I can design lots more crochet patterns for steemit.
Welcome back and thank you for popping by my post earlier it's very much appreciated xx
I really enjoyed reading this. Glad you finally got to take a break. Everybody deserves a vacation.
I actually don´t think it´s bizarre to turn an article into an hamburger. Life is an amazing circle, and you´ll always get what you deserve. Steemit is the very best proof of it! Keep going and writing, we´ll follow you. Cheers and #liveyourdreams
thanks.
Eagles yes dolphins no. I'm guessing five years ago. I time everything in daughter-years. She was threeish so it must have been about five years. My wife still wears the Island Creamery tshirt and I like how worn it is becoming.
I moved the reply as the other thread reached its max depth. Hi.
Very nice to read about your steemit success form your previous posts and so glad to hear about success stories like yours, specially when it makes you happy and made you having nice vacation...
I work as a freelancer at seolads.com and recently i had such nice vacation earned by my freelancing works done, so it was sweet for few reasons which i will be writing in some of my future posts.
Since i am very new to steemit i will be looking around to get good idea how it work, but glad that i was referred by @hitmeasap in who's comments i found your nice post about becoming dolphin, which excited and inspired me somehow... nice to meet you here :)