The Power of Threads

This blog post isn’t like my others, at least not in the typical sense. It’s probably not going to be one that gets read, but as I sat here this morning drinking my coffee and reading, my mind began to wander.

I took a slight break from Threads. It’s only been two days, and I will confess I haven’t been entirely silent. I snuck in and threw some glitter for my Thriends because so many of them are doing such amazing things. It’s their work that I am reading this morning, and I am blown away by all the talented souls I have met.

It's why it was hard for me to take that break. I found something on Threads I never expected to find. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s the truth and I will forever be grateful. Threads has brought me my writing community, it has built my confidence and provided me with what I hope are lifelong friendships.

If you’re a creative, hell, this is for everyone. We all suffer from imposter syndrome, that inner voice can drown out everything else. You spiral and want to burn your work, delete your words, and hide in a hole…

My Thriends won’t let me do that. At least not alone. They will lift me up, they help me to brush the dirt off my knees and offer words of encouragement, empathy, and never ending support. I’ve grown, and I know I am more confident in myself and my work than I was four months ago.

That isn’t what this post is about though, but I had to set the stage. As I read a story today it made me think of a Thriend of mine who I met early on. They were my buddy during NaNoWriMo. They we’re going through something, a rough patch, but they had their writing, and we had one another. They finished their story not too long after NaNo. They shared with me that things began to turn around, they got a new job, they entered their story into a competition. They kept me updated here and there until gradually it got quiet. They are still around, but they found what they needed and then refocused on their life in “the wild”.

I have another dear friend who also took a break. He told me before he left he would have left much sooner had it not been for me and SOTD. There was something about that small interaction in both our days, a silly banter, sharing songs, and building a friendship. It wasn’t what many might look at and think anything of, but it meant a lot to me. So many times he turned my day around, I cried laughing out loud at some of his zingers he threw back at my sassy attitude. It was fun, but then he needed to refocus. His writing needed to come first. He found what he needed, and then he took that break to get his shit done.

There is another. A beautiful soul, with a powerful story. One who taught me little lessons, who made me laugh. He was witty and didn’t care what anyone thought of his posts. He spoke what was on his mind and at times it was hilarious and other times it was very deep. He bared his soul about a week ago, before he too took a break, potentially indefinitely. He found something profound, he was taught something by someone else on Threads. He was touched so deeply by another, he found what he needed. And he moved on.

I am sure you’re seeing the trend here. We’re a handful of creatives, some lost, some just wandering off the beaten path, some wise, some teachers, and most of us empathic. We see each other because we have all been there. Our stories aren’t identical, we’ve all seen different shit. All our trauma is different, our baggage doesn’t look the same. Hell, we don’t look the same, our skin isn't the same color, we don’t all have the same beliefs, the same views, the same sexual preferences. It doesn’t matter. We came open minded, with arms spread wide and we asked the universe to help guide us. To help us when we were down, to provide us with a safe haven, this sanctuary and retreat from the hardships of life in the wild. It fortified many, and when they found what they needed, it was time to move forward. The universe provided.

We found family. We found growth. We found strength. That is the Power of Threads.

Reposted from February 9th, 2024

~Accompanying photo by Suzy Hazelwood found on Pexels~