Another week; another empty page for seven days.

I took this picture at the shelter where I volunteer once a week. At the time, I thought it was the most hilarious thing — I sent it to friends with the caption, "the last picture on my camera before they find my bones picked clean!" Tiny, cute, adorably-inept-yet-terrifyingly-possessed balls of fur and pricking claws, dangling from the crotch of my jeans and trying to chew through my shoelaces. And at the time, that's all they were.

For many of you, this may be the first post from me that you've seen go live, even though it's completely likely that you probably interact with me every day.

I'm all over the place on Steemit and Discord. In the whirlwind few months that I have been here, I've gone from tentatively offering a minuscule audience pieces of my soul in the form of my most beautiful and cherished photos, to working day and night on a witness initiative with @FollowBTCNews, helping out full time with the Minnow Support Project as moderator, medal of honour winner, preparing a new set of late night shows for MSPWaves Radio, sneaking around to curate, and being what I hope is a generally community minded friend. This isn't me pumping my own tires; this is a blunt look at the amount of (amazing) things that have suddenly piled up out of nowhere, that I've been balancing with a day desk job and my side hustles. Bitches, I'm all in.

Look at all of this time I'm using, doing all the things! So why the hell am I not posting?

Here's the reality that I've fallen into, and that I'm identifying in some of the dear people that I'm getting to know better every day through this platform. The expectation to post, to share, to succeed, to be seen, to be rewarded, is so much. Not everyone worries about it, not everyone acknowledges worrying about it, but it's real. And it's okay. It's intrinsic to the idea of a social platform. Like me. Love me.

be real share truth make friends be funny do better be serious find a niche seem exciting hone your writing popular tags be unique write to an audience stand out follow the formula comment more don't seem desperate ask for more don't beg catch a whale make a plan wing it don't bother whales post more not too much game the bots have integrity

Those dandelion puffs with pink heart noses are suddenly looking a lot more sinister.

This platform, the abilities it gives us and the opportunities it provides, are gifts. An inviting package of possibility; an invitation to let your guard down and stroke some soft downy fur. We're lucky to see this stage of Steemit's extended infancy and to experience it firsthand. Just remember that if you start feeling those diminutive daggers even while you're admiring, that's just a natural part of the animal. Managing our expectations of ourselves is key to success — perhaps even more-so than posting and curation. Many here fall into the trap of disillusionment and rejection, and they don't come back. (Here are more cats just to keep this metaphor rolling and morale up at least slightly.) For me, it has become, "can I post this? Is this up to par with what I've done before? Will people understand this look into my heart? What if I just want to post this picture of a damn bug, how do I write a hilarious and introspective thing to go with this youknowwhatfuckit."

Go ahead and feel those things; keenly, even. And then get the hell over them, hit "POST," and go on a voting spree.

Let's work together to do our best to focus on the fluffy goodness, and not those barely retracted claws that may or may not ever offer threat. I'm going to start posting more, and to hell with it. Support those around you when they put something out there, because you know what it's like to stare at a kitten until your mind perceives it to be a tiger. The more you spread those love waves (and we all do it) the more the rewards stack up, and the less intimidating it all becomes. We all know that most of us came here from the place which shall not be named, and how the effects it had on us spurred us to look for more.

Don't be ashamed if that worry creeps up on you — everyone's bound to meet an asshole cat with a thirst for blood at some point. But when you start feeling that way: take a deep breath, a day or two if needed, think of this actual pile of kittens, and all the good in the world and here on Steemit. Don't push yourself to post every day. Don't succumb to the nebulous anxiety and belief that this is a thing you have to do. Focus on uplifting others, and you'll find it easier and more natural to start opening yourself to them. Soon enough, you'll hit your groove and master your expectations; until then, practice breathing — the blockchain was made for cats.

All of these photos are my own, taken on my travels all over this pretty blue marble of ours.
I hope you like them. 🌶️