One of the best things, for me, about Hive has been the people I have met while here. I have had the opportunity to talk to people from all over the world and discover the differences between people living in other countries, as well as how much we share in common.

My favorite fun fact I learned is how most non-Americans pronounce the letter Z. To Americans, it is pronounced "Zee." The word Zebra is said the way it is written, as in Zee'bra.

The first time I heard the letter Z pronounced as Zed, I thought someone was playing a trick on me. My mind couldn't understand why you would take the last letter of the alphabet and make a word out of it. How many people in the world go to the Zoo and look at the zed'bras? In truth, a lot of people. LOL!

It still makes me smile and marvel at how much the same we are around the world, yet how horses with black stripes sound different depending on where you were born—a small thing for sure, but a thing nonetheless.

Once in a while, you can meet someone with whom you click. Someone you feel comfortable talking about things like Z and Zed, and know they will listen to you. They will not judge you. They will try to answer your simple questions and take them seriously.

There is a comfort level knowing I have a person like that on Hive I can turn to and ask questions, knowing I will not be made fun of and still get my answers.

Over the years, @Enginewitty has been one of those people to me. A Brother. He doesn't judge me when I do not understand something. He will go out of his way to explain concepts that others seem to catch on to easily. He never talks down to me when I ask any question.

Enginewitty understands that a person might not understand how "Bots" work, but that doesn't make them dumb.

This year, I have not been on Hive as much due to family health matters. I have tried to pop in Discord and people's posts to see how everyone is doing, but a person can only be pulled in so many directions and stay sane.

While your real life is on fire, time works differently on Hive. I will write a post, and the next thing I know, three months have gone by! It is still a mystery how that happens.

Lucky for me, if I was gone too long, my phone would ring and Enginewitty would be there, asking how I was. Not how my family was, but how I was doing. It meant and means the world to me that someone reached out to help me realize I was drowning in sadness, and they wouldn't hang up until I laughed.

They never gave up on me and still don't.

A bit ago, Enginewitty hurt his arm while playing with one of his dogs. He was looking for a pillow to help him sleep more comfortably while his arm healed. Having a big squishy pillow always sounded wonderful to me, and I had said as much. Marshmallow beds are not overrated. Nor are marshmallow pillows.

About a week later, a package came to my house, and I laughed as Enginewitty told me to look out for Valentine's. As you can see, you cannot get any more hearts on this package. LOL! It was a miracle the package had not burst at the seams. I had to be very careful when I opened it.

Once opened, the pillow grew and grew!

I stuck it in the washer and dryer, and it got even fluffier! It makes me laugh and smile just looking at it, and it still does.

Who knew all those years ago I would meet the best people on Earth who liked me just as I am. Hive might be just numbers and letters to some, but to me, it will always be the people you meet while you are here that keep me coming back when life gets too hard.

Thank you, Enginewitty, for my marshmallow cloud pillow and for being the best brother a girl can ever have!

Help someone smile today. It can not hurt you.

Snook

Header: Image by Abstrakt Xxcellence Studios:

All photos are mine unless otherwise stated.

Banner made by...🙀 🙎