The world of OD 13.00

My stomach is wound up in a tight ball and although I’m raring to go, write on and let you know what there really was in that letter, I think I might need an easy entry for the next 30 mins, just to take the stress level down a little.
 
I want to say a HUGE thank you to JustK for supporting me valiantly thus far, to SubtleAlliance for taking the trouble to get up early to cheer me on and to my hubby, S – for going down the shop and getting me breakfast, for cheering me on, for remembering the date and reminding me of it when I was making other plans, for listening to my fears, panic and elation lately, my excitement about the whole thing. It is wonderful to have a supportive partner. I could add, for sponsoring me, for leaving me my first note of the day and in general, for just being there. Thank you S.
 
In fact, that same S has just told me that he thought he might send my link to some of his friends and then thought that perhaps I might not like that. In the heat of the moment, I think that he might just encourage me to send the link to my friends from the real world after all. That would be hot.
 
And all this brings me to OD and OD friends.  The unreal world where I spend so much of my time.
 
I think I have been on OD for the last three years or so now. In that time there have been favourites who have come and gone. There have been times when I haven’t looked for more favourites because I like to read everyone and leave them notes and a fav list that is too long doesn’t let me do that.
 
I tend to get involved with some of my favs. I think about them, wonder how they are doing, get concerned about them, hope they are all right. And then some of them disappear and I’m left, wondering, with no answer, as to what became of them.
 
Some would say that this is the fickle tendancy of an unreal world. A world where we often don’t know even our real names, where we assume an unreal identity.
 
To that I ask you, how many of you really know your neighbour? How many friends do you really know? How many will you still really know in five years time?
 
In some ways, the world of OD is no different from our real world. People come and go, people touch your life and then disappear, sometimes without a trace, sometimes without a goodbye.
 
I know that there are people on OD who have touched my life, to who I have turned to for advice when I would otherwise not have known where to run, to whom I have shown my true self, my fears, my insecurities. I usually write favs only because I could never show myself to just anyone.
 
OD gave me a new identity and that identity has grown on me. Or we have grown together. Who I am today is not because of OD, but I have grown through OD.
 
One person who touched my life this time last year was a blogger in the thon. She stayed for a while, shared probably some of her deepest secrets to help me with mine, and then left. For the wisdom she shared I am eternally grateful. For the inspiration she gave me to try NaNoWriMo and enter this year’s thon, again, I can’t thank her enough.
 
It would be nice if she were to read this and know, but just sending it out into the ether will have to suffice for now.
 
In short, thank you OD – thank you OD favs for supporting my world.