These were my notebooks in High School.
Ugly, right?
Seeing the rugged papers and ink spots reminded me of a time in High School. I used to love being alone with a notebook – just complete silence with a pinch of my thoughts poured heavily on a decaying paper.
I was tagged as the "Notebook Kid."
I remember very well how this young Eu looked - skinny, awkward, and quite clumsy with a big bag full of his notebooks. I had several of these with crappy handwriting but a deep world of imagination. Instead of writing notes, I wasted my pen ink on stories, puzzles, and lists of favorites.
I could do anything with these cheap pages. At times, I'd write all the names of my classmates and come up with a fictional character for each of them. They'd pass around the notebook, and when it returned, the cover was lost entirely. I didn't mind. Even though my palm was full of ink stains and my wrists were starting to get weary, I continued.
In college, I dropped the notebook thing. Then came the Notepad.
I regularly spent my time in this software desktop magic with no worries about lousy penmanship or inkblots. While waiting for the teacher to come, I wrote. When I came up with my top 20 tracks, I listed them. Concretizing my thoughts and ideas into specific words became a habit. So, I now have the liberty to access random college memories I once deemed worthy of being immortalized.
When I started working, I bought myself a smartphone. Yes, I know. I didn't have one in college. My love for Notepad became short-lived, and I began a new relationship with the Notes App.
Everything became more convenient. My poems, my stories, my self-pity thoughts, my list – they are all in a red-colored application of my Android phone. I wrote my heart out while waiting for commuting. I wrote about insecurities, my appreciation to friends, my love tokens. I kept writing until I bumped into Hive.
Enter Hive
It's been 30 days, 23 hours, 51 minutes, and 24 seconds since I posted my Introduction Post. Although, it's been 369 days since I made this account.
Almost a year of the gap, eh? What happened between the genesis of this account and my actual first post?
Well, the idea of writing an intro post got into my skin.
When my brother pitched the platform to me, it appeared too good to be true. He told me I had to introduce myself to the community first. It doesn't have to be excellent, he'd say. It was exciting initially, but I didn't realize how much pressure it would give me.
As we all know, the intro post was about who I am. Genuinely, I was stuck. I didn't want it to be a simple layout of my surface-level information – I wanted it to be special. But it was hard for me to find one. I had nothing particularly special to say.
Am I not special?
I did try to finish what I started countless times. Each time I opened my laptop, the white light kept staring back. I didn't think anyone on this platform would like it. I'm not sure where to find the best words. Maybe I couldn't live up to their expectations. Or perhaps, my expectations?
That particular year was slow, but it was meaningful in a lot of ways. I went to live away from my family (kind of) and learned to cook. I formed housemates – hang and quarreled with them. I broke my heart, found a new one, and explored the ventures of independent settlement. It was too much, but it was transformative. I experienced life and was ready to write it all. But I didn't.
Along that year of creative abstinence, if you call it that way, I began to wonder. "Why do I write?"
The Notes App man would probably say 'to express.'
The Notepad guy would maybe say 'to capture moments.'
The Notebook kid would most likely say, 'because it is an extension of myself.'
I realized the Notebook Kid sounded more interesting. Well, he was.
I remember my daily life as the high school Notebook kid was bounded with writing. I ate and breathed words - though, I wasn't good at it. It was like I do it because that's what I do with joy - not because I need to achieve something for my audience. Well, maybe, the goal sometimes involves making them happy - but it was mostly for my satisfaction.
So when my brother, once again, reintroduced me to the world that is Hive, I had the Notebook Kid in the back of my mind. Maybe, it's time for the Notebook Kid to be reborn. With fewer ink worries nor possibilities of ugly penmanship, I can probably write for myself. So I wrote.
My Hive Snowball
I went by the name of "The Gray Blur," though I can't change my username, so it's still a plain, old boring @eudadol.
After speaking to my brother, I decided to wing everything in one sitting. For three hours, I was settled with what I had come up with. It was a long time coming, but I was happy with my Hive introduction.
It got up to 86 HIVE Rewards. I wanted it to be 100+ so bad, but when I read it, I felt at peace. And I was okay.
I roamed around the communities. I wanted to find something that could fit me. I tried @theinkwell and @haveyoubeenhere until I joined a Coffee Contest by @hive-152524 (c/cinnamon cup coffee).
At that time, I didn't have any idea what to write. I wasn't into coffee (or so I thought). But then I realized my girlfriend had a reputation for being a coffee girl. I decided to write about her, and it was also a way to introduce her (virtually) to my friends and family publicly.
The Girl Whose Blood Runs with Coffee became a notable mention. It wasn't a winner, I know, but it was such a massive feat for a new guy like me. I felt so appreciated, and it opened doors for me.
Eventually, I became more frequent on my posts. I was able to engage with some incredible people on this platform and found my blogging niche. I am a storyteller. And my blogs mostly revolve around that.
I also realized how much I love things I've never thought about. It is in writing a blog on it that allowed me to reflect on my relationship with it. For instance, when I wrote travel blogs, I was enlightened on how personal my travels tend to be. Likewise, how all my experiences become significantly personal because of my anticipation to share them with Hive.
The constant support among Hivers I frequently interact with were great blessings in my journey as the neophyte. These people have been consistently giving me solid feedback and support. I owe them my appreciation: @indayclara @juecoree @discoveringarni @thegoodbi @nathen007 @asasiklause @millycf1976 @nikkabomb @glecerioberto @patsitivity and the rest of the local team that looks up to the quality of @ybanezkim26.
As of writing, my reputation is 60.28, my HBD is almost a hundred, and my posts are now a dozen (excluding this). It was a month-long endeavor, alongside my 8 to 5 teaching work and my evening entrepreneurial commitments. When I think about it, it happened like a snowball. One post led to another until my love for blogging became an attachment.
Rebirth
I know my track here isn't impressive, but I've never been so excited in my life for something I love to do - write. Every time I open Peakd and see those tiny orange dots, my heart skips a beat waiting to read the comment section.
I looked back. This was precisely how the Notebook Kid felt. This was what I was looking for as I scoured through the Notepad and the Notes App, but it was in Hive that allowed me to be fulfilled. My posts on travels, on personal musings, and even my 3speak videos - they have been something I genuinely embrace as parts of me.
Maybe it's because there is now a community? Maybe because I kind of earn (which I still don't get the complete picture)? Or perhaps because I get to do what the Notebook Kid always loves to do - write for happiness, and share it with the world?
Regardless, this was a privilege.
And this is a rebirth.
It's 2:45 A.M. I'm still in my work shirt, mask and trying to finish this blog. But my heart is well, and I am at peace.
I'm excited to see where this goes.
