Some time a month ago, I was finding it very hard balancing hive with this new task I had just acquired. I took time off, pending on when I would be able to create balance between hive and my daily life. I’ve been on hive for the past three years, and during these three years, hive has been a crucial part of my journey into creativity. While I was away, it just didn’t feel right being away from this platform that has become a part of me. My time away, felt lacking. And that is one of the things hive does to you after being here for a long while.
When I first got into hive, it took me about two weeks to write my introductory post. I reread every sentence, hoping it was right, and I postponed publishing it, in the hopes that my creativity would be refreshed, and I would attain perfection. When I eventually published it, it took me about two weeks again to publish my next post. Why? I was aiming for perfection. Hive is one platform, filled with people from all walks of life. People from all races, and yet, I write everyday with certainty. I write freely, sharing my opinions, and my beliefs, without seeming performative, or trying to appease a certain group of persons.
Everytime I’ve taken breaks from hive, be it to focus on exams or anything, I find myself counting down the days to my return. Hive doesn’t pressure you. It allows you the opportunity to be, the chance to earn by doing something of your own volition, and giving you something to look forward to. A space where I can share details of my day, while still reading about going-ons in other people’s lives, that’s why I am still on hive. We’re all different people, living apart, but everytime you read a post on here, you see how interconnected we all are, when it comes to our daily lives.
Through hive, creative writing doesn’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Consistently showing up, reading all forms of posts in their neutrality, has helped me grow in ways I didn’t know I would. One time, 
When I decided to start sewing as hobby, I didn’t know how to go about it, so I remember writing a post, asking how I could go about pedaling the sewing machine. I didn’t even have prior knowledge, and I remember the amount of encouragement and advice I received from members of the #needlework-community. After reading the comments, I felt like I was already successful at sewing and, I couldn’t even wait to get back to it. So, when I think of my time on hive here, I think of the crafts I’ve learned, I think of lifestyles I’ve adopted that have changed me for the better. I think of how life would have been these past years, without having hive to support me financially.
It’s been years of living life as a member of this amazing platform, and judging by the fact that I’ve never regretted being here, it doesn’t seem likely that I’ll be leaving hive anytime soon. It is with this same pleasure that I invite 
Thanks for reading.
First image was generated using the Freeform app, while the second image is a picture of me.
