Musings

I don't know what has brought this on--probably stress and lack of sleep--but I'm feeling like a total sap today, thinking of how grateful I am for my online friends. I've blogged on this before, but I was reminded of it again as I sat down this morning and read all the comments and links about the Army-Navy game.

This morning, so many people I've never met "in person" were also sitting down at their computers to write about the big game, snark each other good-naturedly, and in some ways kinda just "hang out together." It was a lot of fun. And then I watched a game I'd never been particularly interested in before, a game of fun and spirited play, and an amazing poignancy that constantly reminded the viewer, "It's just a game." It was a new experience; I watched because my friends had introduced me to it. And when I heard the various songs, I smiled because I knew what they meant to the people around the country who were watching right along with me, and because thinking of my friends enjoying the game in their various locations made me happy.

Oh, there's so much say, but I'm afraid I'd be a blithering idiot about it. I'm just thinking of all the wonderful people I've gotten to know this year, of their unique personalities, their gifts and their flaws, the new windows to a view of the world that they have offered me through their friendship, the honor I feel that they have trusted me and let me into their lives. I think of people who aren't necessarily "friends," but fellow bloggers of various stature who think what I have to say is worthwhile, those who made Valour-IT happen, and those who've taught me to look past all my assumptions in order to learn and grow...

It sounds so cliche to say it, but they really do make my life abundantly richer by their presence in it. I am not the same person I was even 10 months ago, and that's a good thing. So I sit here in the middle of my stress and exhaustion and worry... happily smiling to think of what a lucky person I really am.