Posted by TamaraJ on May 14, 2005, at 10:11:55
Well, I have to say that when I joined the Babble community, I had never been part of an on-line chat community, and had never imagined I would be. I found Babble by accident really (as I am sure many others have) at a time when I was having some nasty side effects to two meds I was on - Effexor and Depo Provera. After lurking for a month or so, I started posting on the meds board. After a while, I started posting on other boards, starting with the Substance Abuse board.
To have found a community of people who share similar experiences and who are willingly open, comforting, reassuring and supportive of others has been a blessing. Like many others here, I don't know what I would have done without this board when I had been in a really bad way. Yes, I feel blessed to have come into contact with the people here, and to have gotten to know you, either by exchanging posts or just by reading your posts.
The curse is two-fold. Participating does become a bit of an addiction and I have found, at times, that I need my babble "fix" daily and spend more time than I should on the board. And, it can be heartbreaking at times - reading about the pain and suffering of others knowing full well there is not a d*amn thing I can do except offer words of comfort and support and then seeing people leave (that is the hard part). Some people leave without a word, while others announce their departure. Both are tough. I am far too sentimental and emotional for my own good sometimes. You see, my family moved a lot when I was growing up, and having to say good-bye to friends and familiar surroundings took a lot out of me. Yes, I am a big suck!!! So, when I see people leave here or notice that someone has just not been posting for an extended period, I get sad. Such a strange thing really - to feel sad about the departure of a person you don't really know and may not have exchanged too many words. Yet, there it is - a person's presence has such an impact on others that when they go, there is a hole that needs to be filled. It's too hard to see people leave. Oh well, I need to develop a thicker skin I guess, and not post or read as much as I have been. To every problem there is a solution - right?
Tamara (the sentimental fool)
poster:TamaraJ
thread:497676
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050513/msgs/497676.html