by RadiumEyes, HSM team writer

With a new year on the horizon, we have a time for reflection on the previous; it’s been an exciting year for Home, and I wouldn’t know where to begin with the service. As with any article, however, introductory remarks for this must come from somewhere – perhaps the most pertinent starting point would be where Home fits into my life. Home’s a social platform, after all, and I am a participant in it; it became a place where I felt welcome and loved, even if I do encounter some bad apples on occasion.

Go Team HSM!

The year winds to a close as I finish this article, and it feels like a day and a half of activity; spending time with family, meeting friends, and to top it off, a stop at a local British-style pub to enjoy some fish and chips. All these together formed a wonderful holiday – and as the night descends, I can reflect on how the year before had been for me.

For Home, the year brought me one important aspect – the opportunity to join the ranks of HSM. Estim20 preceded me, and now she’s one of the editors; I began my HSM writing life with a small wishlist, and naturally things grew from there. I got to meet Terra, Norse, Burbie and so many others as articles continued to pour in; I felt like I was part of something great, and all that hard work and contributions from everyone in the magazine coalesced into being featured on the HPG News Reader.

My gratitude extends not only to Terra and Norse, for giving me this chance to be part of such a wonderful team, but also to the friends I’ve made on here. Burbie was probably the first person I ever added to my Friends List, and I can’t express how thankful I am for meeting her; she directed my creative writing spirit to HomeStation Magazine, and became one of those beacons on Home. Truth be told, I’ve dealt with self-consciousness and anxiety throughout my life; it’s been a big hurdle for me, but through the years, I kept a rational head on my shoulders. This year, particularly, holds significance for me – it became the year that I really buckled down and thought about my anxiety in a more positive light.

HomeStation Magazine and my blog are two guiding lights for me – they represent rays of hope when I feel rather depressed and alone. The latter started a few years back, and it acted as an outlet for my geeky habit; with the former, it allowed me to channel some of that passion for writing towards Home, a rare place where I could socialize without feeling completely isolated and lonely. Of course, it’s the Internet, and with it come the inevitable trolls and silly behavior, but all that seems rather secondary and peripheral; for all its benefits and faults, Home gave me a private place to be myself, even if people didn’t behave as well as I was comfortable with. To use that old cliché, “there’s no place like home,” and the PlayStation 3 bears this out; it feels like a living travel diary, where I follow Basho’s spirit and traverse the disparate spaces offered on this network, taking in the sites and marveling at what the architecture could handle.

Perhaps the most important aspects of Home that I feel most grateful for are the freedom of personal expression and the social interaction that makes life so vibrant; you’re not limited to one specific look, and your avatar can be whatever you feel most expresses your identity. For me, that identity eventually became expressed through a female avatar, but that’s a story for another day – my personality can shine on Home, and it’s a liberating feeling. As a note, this does come with a caveat: as this is an Internet service, one does need to be careful. Trolls and other bad apples exist, and meeting them can be an infuriating experience; the best course of action I found was to be patient and kind, no matter who you speak with.

I’m not perfect – I can find myself being upset or frustrated over any detail – but I’ve learned to do my best given the situation; greeting anger with further anger leads to conflict, and that’s not my cuppa tea. Life’s too endearing to delve down that path – returning to Basho, one feels a sort of evanescent atmosphere to Home, a transitory nature that invites one to write haiku commemorating the event just experienced. Not being a great poet myself, I shall refrain from it, but let it be said that Home offered me so much; it brought me to HSM, a great group of writers and editors who work thoroughly to make great articles. For those at HSM, I am eternally thankful.

Share

2 Responses to “A Year of Gratitude”

1. Kassadee Marie says:

   December 31, 2013 at 8:42 pm

   The Winter of Home
   falls upon us in this season
   before the farewells.

   Reply
2. Burbie52 says:

   December 31, 2013 at 9:29 pm

   it has been great getting to know you as well Radium. I always like adding new and interesting people to my friends list. You can’t have enough friends, especially those who add something to your life.

   Reply