While doing my "rounds" this morning and trying to catch up with some of my favorite Steemians, I started noticing something.
I noticed "the absence of."
What Happens to People?
What I noticed wasn't who was in my feed, but who wasn't in my feed, and who it seemed like I had not seen in a long time.
Calendula
Was it just an illusion, or is it the result of different time zones and me not being online during the same hours as before?
Not so much.
As I ran through some 50-odd profiles-- quite a few of which belong to pretty "high profile" people-- I was surprised by how many hadn't been active in a while; weeks, months. I also noticed that a fair number were no longer publishing much actual original content, but were instead dedicating their efforts to running contests and community development.
Which, of course, is a positive thing; the more community building we see around here, the better off we all are.
People Come, People Go... EVERYWHERE
Of course, this sort of "disappearance" thing isn't a Steemit thing. It's a life thing.
Thistle
I have seen the same thing happen on Farcebook and other social media platforms: Someone spends months and years being super active and one day their activity just stops.
And it's not because they died or experienced a tragic event... most likely it's just because they suddenly "changed direction."
Way back in the Way Back, I would see the same thing happen when we were all busy interacting via online message boards, before "social media" had really been invented.
As often as anything, people just get new hobbies and interests. And very often these sudden disappearances also revolve around changes in "relationship status." Which is also perfectly natural.
The Only Constant in Life is CHANGE
California Poppy
Looking at those activities (or lack of) of people I haven't "seen" in a while served as a poignant reminder that life tends to be all about change.
We all change. Lives change; we move; we have breakups and marriages; we change jobs; we retire; we have kids, we have grandkids; our dogs have puppies, our cats have kittens.
We know this... but perhaps what we tend to lose sight of is that everyone is on their own unique "cycle" in life.
For some, starting a new job might mean "barely skipping a beat," for someone else? It could mean they don't "feel like themselves" for six months or more.
There's no "right" or "wrong," we just tend to forget that our schedule isn't everyone else's.
Anyway, here's a shoutout to all of those who are not here as often as they once were! I hope your paths are taking you exactly where you were hoping to go!
How about you? Have you noticed any "favorite people" suddenly disappear without explanation? Or have you ever been one of the "disappeared ones?" What do YOU think happens in people's lives to make them suddenly lose interest in projects? Do you consider yourself more of a "dabbler" or a "stick to it" person in life's opportunities? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!
created by @zord189
(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180208 14:45 PDT