Glutton for punishment, Mindpinball, curious about the nut who visited his blog, became my first regular reader outside of my family. Believe it or not, knowing that I had a reader, even if only one (besides my mother-in-law and mother), gave me something to look forward to during a really rough time. Though at the time my blog was solely an outlet to take my mind off more difficult things, eventually the thought that I had an actual reader somewhere out in the ether helped to give me hope…something that probably wouldn’t make sense to anyone besides me even if I could put it into words. If I could put it into words, they would be words of gratitude and appreciation, words to thank serendipity and Google, words to express how humble and fortunate I feel for unexpected gifts of friendship when you most need them.

Mindpinball also became the first blog I ever followed and I looked forward to his always well-written and articulate posts. At that time, having anything to look forward to, anything that made my day better in any way was a big deal. Now, a year later, in a very different place, I still look forward to his posts and I am still grateful, for these things that bring me some measure of pleasure.

Eventually, there were others who came to this url and I was grateful to them too, even if then, as well as now, I am in disbelief. Every comment (except from spammers), every interest, cheers me still! (Would you find it interesting to know that my most popular post is about sociopathic killers? Does that say something disturbing about our society?)

You never know the impact that your actions, however insignificant they may seem, will have on others. I have considerable guilt about some things I said to USAIR in particular last year during the nadir of my despair, on my last nerve, and completely empty of any patience for any mishap, first after being bumped from a flight at one end and then having a flight canceled on the other (and four hours waiting in line to find out). There are a lot of words, and a couple letters I wish I could take back. There is always a nice way to say things. I, of all people know better, because it is I who am always amazed at (and preaching) how much impact such a little action can have, the chain of events that one event can set in motion.

Often we might not realize how much the things we say or do matter, but they do. We touch people in more ways than we will likely ever realize. Mindpinball, just by being there in the ether, made a big difference to me, at a time when he couldn’t possibly have known how such a simple action could have touched another person. We do well to not forget how connected we all are to each other.

We are all connected to one another.

(Even, grudgingly, I’ll admit, Orioles fans to Ys fans. Well, I don’t know, maybe I’m on the fence with that one.)

Thank you to every person who reads this blog, but most especially thank you Mindpinball for brightening the blogosphere with your sunshiney clicks, posts, articles, and emails!

I hope you will all continue to read, and that in the future I will be able to provide useful or interesting information to somehow enrich your life (in between the other stuff). It is my goal that everyone who reads this blog will find it worth their time, at least sometimes.

P.S. MP, I owe you a poem, but I respect you too much to tarnish this post with my poor and pathetic poetic abilities (I can alliterate though).