December 24, 2008

• Yesterday
  

  It was eight years ago yesterday that I answered Bianca's spam invitation to Xanga. Blogging was new, not yet part of pop culture, not yet infested. Those of us who were part of that first wave of newcomers probably didn't know what to expect. How could we? As far as we knew nothing like this had been done before. We didn't know there was going to be an age ceiling put on the world we began to shape and mold day after day. Many of today's bloggers here in xangadu were still going wee in their pants. Were still learning their communication skills from badly translated Japanese video games that boldly proclaimed, All your base are belong to us! They hadn't yet found their inner critic that would soon begin to swagger and whine about people too old for blogging cluttering up their world with their foreign language of spelling and English grammar. No, we adults were moaning about eProps and who had how many and who had how many subscribers and how that made them more popular and therefore more important than the rest of us. Though we had stopped going wee in our pants physically we made up for it with pouting, name calling, finger pointing and other forms of juvenile behaviors we'd all just as soon forget.

  The sprouts of friendships started back then have grown into trees that have given us shelter from the storms of life when we needed them. Now, whether we keep up here in xangadu or not, we are part of each other's lives and we still amuse, amaze and comfort one another with eMails, eCards and eLove. For the most part we're probably way beyond annoying one another any more. Some of the people who made up the first, second and third waves of bloggers who hit the beaches of xangadu tapping loudly on their keyboards have fallen and are no longer with us. For those of us who remain in the shadows the saying again proves true: Old soldiers never die they just fade away. Though these days I rarely cross T's with the inhabitants of xangadu from time to time I remember. It may appear to be a complaint but I have none to air. I am grateful for the practice I got writing here every day for years. Learning the ropes of hidden human relationships and how people behave toward one another when they are safe and anonymous behind a monitor was also interesting. It can bring out both our angels and demons. There are far more demons than angels I've learned. That just makes the angels all more exceptional and cherished.

  To those of you who have persevered I'd like to say thank you for everything. The good, the bad and the ugly. To those who have left xangadu for other parts, farewell. To those who have left these muddy shores of earth and rock for whatever lies beyond this mortal experience I wonder if you have regrets about some of the really mean and stupid things you said and did when you were here. For the rest of us I hope we make amends for the really mean and stupid things we said and did while we went crashing through life. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
  

  • 4:58 pm
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