It feels strange to say it out loud, because life has thrown so many major health challenges at me over the years that sometimes I’m honestly surprised I’m still here to mark anything at all. I don’t talk about every detail, but I’ve been through enough surgeries, scares, and long recovery days to know that nothing is guaranteed. So when I say I’m celebrating, I mean it in the simplest way — I’m grateful I made it to this point.
That’s a long time to keep showing up, writing, stacking, sharing pieces of my life, and connecting with people I’ve never met in person but somehow know through their words. Hive has been here through all my ups and downs, even the ones that knocked me flat. Most of the years I was active, but the past months I was barely hanging on, but I stayed. And tonight, that feels worth acknowledging.
I might as well celebrate, because we really don’t know if we’ll be here another year. None of us do. Life changes fast. Bodies change fast. One day you’re fine, the next day you’re in a hospital bed wondering what comes next. I’ve lived enough of those moments to understand how fragile everything is.
So what does nine years mean?
For me, it means I kept going.
It means I didn’t disappear even when life got heavy.
It means I found a place where I could write, share, learn, and just be myself without needing to pretend everything was perfect.
It means I survived long enough to look back and say, “I’m still here.”
And maybe that’s the real milestone — not the number, not the anniversary, but the fact that I’m alive to see it. That I can sit here tonight, type these words, and feel a quiet sense of pride for staying, for trying, for continuing.
Nine years on Hive.
I’ll take it.
All photos were taken by me with my iPhone.
All photos were taken by me with my iPhone.
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