2016 Friday -- 8 Years of Blipping

Blipfoto -- blipping 8 years -- no way! I have found blipping to be a joy and a celebration over and over throughout these years.

At first the experience was mesmerizing. All day long I would think about capturing just "the" photo. Some days I actually got "the" photo; some days it was just a photo.

For at least the first 2 and 1/2 years I was intoxicated with the complete experience of posting my own photo and whatever words would appear as I stared at my computer screen AND the commenting on other blippers' pages. I thoroughly enjoyed, and still do, learning about the lives and the geography of other people.

Then my tank ran out of air and I realized I had to come up for air. As I did, I never quit blipping, but I did acknowledge my addiction and that it was consuming a huge chunk of my life. So I took several giant steps back from the mainstream. I continue to love Blipfoto, but I learned (back then) to take small daily sips.

So my aim became simplicity, while continuing to experience pleasure in my "blipping." I wanted Blipfoto to still feel like home and I did not want to be homesick. So for me it is a delicate balance to not get sucked into the main stream, but to continue floating on the slower sides of the stream (at least until I retire, which is just 3 years from now).

I am still enthralled with this community -- overall some of the nicest people I have ever "not" met, but know, are members of this community. I've only met one or two blippers face-to-face. I had one, only one, blipper be rude several times on my comment page. Quite some time ago that person fell off the edge of the blipping world and hasn't been missed on my page.

I have so appreciated blip-friends who recognize that my opinion is different than theirs and rather than be rude, they acknowledge another perspective with mature adult behavior, which includes respect. I not only find that refreshing, but I enjoy friendships with those people. At those moments, creating my page and sharing my page are equally delightful.

I began blipping on January 5, 2009 (I think that is correct). I have posted a few photos that were previous to that initial start date and those have caused my blip-anniversary to change. I believe I have one back-blip waiting to be filled-in from several years ago, and I will eventually do that. I'm a couple days behind at the moment--no big deal; I'll get it done.

So 8 years of blipping including -- teaching college in southern California, saying goodbye to "Bob dog," welcoming 3 new pups -- Chloe, Mitzi & Max, celebrating our birthdays and wedding anniversaries and special holidays, purchasing a retirement home on California's Central Coast (even though I am not yet retired), watching Mr. Fun step into retirement, celebrating grandkids' and great grandkids' accomplishments and celebrations, and watching our two adult children wrestle with life -- have been captured in my Blipfoto pages. I will forever be grateful that Joe Tree created this amazing social media journal. I miss him, his mom, his family, but I am glad that I still have Blipfoto, and grateful for the team that keeps its heart beating.

If you've read this far Thank YOU!

Long live Blipfoto!
Rosie (& Mr. Fun), aka Carol