Hello again, everyone.
It perpetually perplexes me how we can look back in time to a certain point in our lives, and marvel at how long ago it was and how so much has changed in that interval; and, alternately (sometimes simultaneously), shake our heads in amazement at how fast the years flew by, challenged to believe that it has really been so long.
Surely I am not the only one who has experienced this paradox of retrospection? Ever since I became aware of the personal milestone marked by this particular year, this is the feeling I have had nearly every time I have spared a thought for this forum.
It was this exact time on this exact date exactly five years ago (1,826 calendar days, to be precise) that I made
my very first post on The Gang Of Five, officially becoming an active member of an Internet forum for the first time in my life. It is an anniversary that I feel compelled, if not obliged, to commemorate, as this was truly a life-changing event for me, and I have you, the members of the GOF, who welcomed me with open arms into the friendliest and most compassionate online family I could imagine, to thank for it.
Looking back, it amazes me how a random, nostalgia-incited (and ultimately temporary) bout of obsession with an animated film franchise from my childhood led me to one of the nicest places on the Web, and started me on a journey that would profoundly change my life for the better. It was one of those unforeseeable life-changing turns of events that seem utterly improbable in retrospect.
When I first joined the forum, I was an intensely shy and cautious individual, unsure of how to approach people or interact with them. Five years later, I’m still timid and introverted, but not as severely so as before, and I have vastly more confidence in social situations and communicating with people. Granted, it’s hard for me to say how much of my growth over the past five years I can attribute directly to the GOF, but I’ll be a sharptooth’s uncle if it hasn’t been a significant factor.
Certainly The Gang Of Five has done more for my psychological health than any doctor ever did. Posts citing me in The Member Appreciation Thread and nominations I received for the GOF Awards were among the greatest self-esteem boosts I have ever received. It has given me opportunities to communicate with people from all over the world, bearing a myriad of opinions, worldviews, and backgrounds. I’ve made friends, learned how to open up to people, experimented with new social media like Facebook and Skype, and expanded my social life beyond what it ever was before. I’ve learned new skills and developed preexisting ones, tried new things and discovered new interests. Thanks to the GOF I have broadened my horizons immensely.
But it’s not just my own personal growth for which I owe the GOF a debt of gratitude. I am also thankful for all the opportunities the forum has given me to pay back the favor to some meager extent; the times when I was able to make a positive difference in the lives of other members, however minor or fleeting my impact may have been. Whether by reviewing stories, critiquing artwork, creating star day cards, sharing scientific knowledge, providing a chuckle via a humorous caption or quip, supplying stimulating conversation, or just offering kindness and sympathy, it has been my honor and my pleasure to be able to benefit my fellow GOF members. It brings me immense joy and fulfillment to know that someone’s day is just a little bit brighter because of something I have done, and that maybe I can be of some value to the world after all.
I wish I could say that my level of activity on the GOF has remained consistent for these past five years. Regretfully, over the last two years or so, I have been visiting the forum less and less. I’m not entirely sure why myself. Perhaps one factor was the declining activity of various other members on the forum with whom I was friends or otherwise connected. It’s also likely that I was wearing myself too thin focusing on certain activities (including artwork, reviewing, and RPing) that had started out as fun, spontaneous pastimes, but that had somehow developed into challenging chores that I found more stressful than enjoyable. I find it all rather depressing, knowing how much I once loved spending time here.
There is one thing I can promise you all, though: I don’t ever plan on breaking ties with the GOF. This forum, and the connections I have made with people here, are too precious to me. If anyone ever wants to talk to me, share something with me, ask me a question, or just check up on how I’m doing, just send me a message. I have my GOF account set up so that I should be notified by e-mail whenever a PM is sent to me, or a post is made in my “
ask me” thread. In addition, I have posted my contact information in the relevant thread in the AM section. If you wish to hear from me, I will be at arm’s length. I hope to maintainóand even strengthenómy friendships on this forum for years to come.
Thank you to the GOF and all my fellow members, for five wonderful years, and all that you have done for me in that time.
Sincerely,
