I am Going to Steemfest 4
There, I said it. I put the intention out in the world and am hoping that the Universe is hearing me loud and clear and will help me to make this happen.
I think that you can gather from the first sentence that I don't really have the details figured out. I don't have a ticket for steemfest in my hand, no flight booked and paid for, and no accommodations reserved. But those are just the details, right? Setting the intention is the very first step to manifestation.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not one of the people who believes that you just wish it and it will happen. No, I am keenly aware that there are action steps required on my part.
But before I tell you about the action steps I have already put in place and what I am planning to do, let me tell you why I want to go in the first place.
Mini Steem meetup at my house yesterday.@thekitchenfairy and family, @derekrichardson, me
Why Do I want to go to Steemfest 4?
Judging from many posts I am seeing lately, there is a bit of doubt, despair, loss of hope going on on Steem right now. Actually, there is a lot of that. Many are not happy with HF21. Even more are looking at the price of Steem and are ready to pull out there hair - or at least question the amount of time they are spending on the platform. Others are frustrated that they are putting out a lot of effort to promote Steem or to help the newbies and the results are falling short of what they expected.
Let's just say that for many steem as a money-making machine is a bit of a disappointment right now.
I am certainly one of those who can't justify the amount of time I have and do spend on the platform by pointing at the growth of my wallet. Working, if you want to call Steeming working for this purpose, for pennies an hour doesn't make much sense. Fair enough.
Still, I want to go to Thailand and meet a whole lot of people in person I only know through their online presence.
"Why?"
Why, you ask? What an excellent question.
For those of us who came to Steem as bloggers instead of investors, we found that the gold to be found on Steem is the people.
That sounds like such a trite statement. But I am going to Steemfest for the people! I am looking forward to meeting friends face to face I only know through their online presence at this point. But I know that we will come together as old friends without any of the awkwardness of first encounters.
That is my main reason. And to see a place I haven't traveled to before. But that is secondary.
Steemfriends
Let me tell you what my Steemfriends mean to me and why I am so sure that going to Bangkok is going to be like going to a family reunion.
The first San Diego Meetup
Soon after I joined Steem, I decided to try to run some local meetups. The community organizer in me just wanted to connect with people in real life - also, I was onboarding friends and found myself spending lots of time with each of them trying to explain the platform. I thought it would be easier to have regular meetings and go over that kind of information together.
I made a post and before I knew it, I found out that @socalsteemit just had formed and we immediately combined forces. That weekend, my husband and I went to our very first Steem meetup in Riverside. So much fun!!! As a matter of fact, one of the Steemians and leaders of that group was at my house yesterday!! We have met many times since then and I am looking forward to getting together on 8/11 for the second annual Baseball stadium meetup in San Bernadino. @derekrichrdson - you rock!
We have had many SoCalSteemit meetups since that first one and I organized several in San Diego. Each one is different, some are big and some are small, but all are fantastic!
But meeting up is not all that happens when you make friends on Steem.
A long, long time ago... (Ha, the beginning of a fairy tale. Hold on to your seats!!)
Just kidding. But in Steem terms, it was a long time ago -as of today exactly 629 days- I started the Daily Freewrite Prompt. I had been thinking about that for a while, then I met @improv who was doing freewrites. We talked and the result is a daily prompt I am delivering - daily. Duh.
That let to eventually founding the @freewritehouse account where we are running many contests and supporting writers of all backgrounds and abilities. @improv has been a great supporter and promoter from the beginning and I had planned a San Diego Steem meetup at a time where the improv family was planning to come to San Diego.
The improv family in New Orleans
The family, @improv, @stinawog, and @loch ended up staying at my house, later I visited them in LA, and before we knew it, we were planning a road trip together to New Orleans. We had a fantastic time!!! Without Steem and my Steemfriends, I never would have made it there. Steem didn't pay for the trip but the people on Steem made it possible.
But that is not all. Just a few weeks ago I was on the road to Colorado via the Grand Canyon with another Steemian I met on the platform. We had met at various times to hang out when she was in San Diego, I visited her family on a trip with my husband - and next thing we know, we are on the road together for a week seeing the most beautiful countrysides.
@dreemsteem and I at the Grand Canyon
You have three guesses now why we took that road trip.
Did you guess to meet some more Steemians?
If you did, you were right!!
We went to Colorado to meet up with @thealliance family at the blockparty. 16 of us spent three days in one house sharing meals, laughter, information, and more. We all felt like we knew each other even though some of us had not even seen each other's blogs.
@dreemsteem, @snook, @jayna, @mariannewest
Now you know why I am so confident that going to Bankok is like meeting a family I want to hang out with. I can't wait to hug some of my Malaysian friends, meet new people, and reconnect with others.
How to Get There
Here are some of the action steps I set into motion:
- Find Passport and make sure it is current.
- Start a savings account for steemfest.
- Make sure to walk at least 15,000 steps on a weekend day (even though my phone is not counting well - I just keep on walking) even if I am dog tired and just want to go to bed. Post that actifit report with the right tags and hope to win a ticket.
- Talk to friends who are going and see if we want to share an Airbnb or something.
And that is all for now.
See You in Bankok
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All images are my own unless otherwise cited.
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Animation By @zord189
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