We were one of the first of my school friends to get a computer, and one of the oh so amazing programs was one that you could type a word into and hit the TRANSMOGRIFY button and - wait for it - it would magically TRANSFORM the font and you could print it out as a large banner. We were allowed to do this about twice before Dad realised it was going to use up all his ink and paper. However, since then, I've been super in love with the word 'transmogrify'.

Don't you just love the example sentence in the definition here? We've transmogrified many homes into hippy crash pads, that's for sure.

This week I've been thinking about transformation, change, and growth because I finally made minnow. It's not so much a magical transformation as such but the result of some hard work. Like the transformation of our garden below. When we moved here it was grass - now it's a jungle.

It's been hard work getting here and if you're not yet there, don't lose heart - effort really does bring reward.

I've also focussed a lot on all the positive things about this platform and I'm definitely around for the long haul. I've enjoyed it immensely. I have learnt so much on Steemit - not just the technical aspect of how this platform works, most of which is admittedly still a mystery to me, but lots of amazing content has taught me so much about all kinds of things from permaculture and land stewardship to vegetable gardening to greenhouse growing. I've also really valued the communities I've been welcomed into here such as Hive account@tribesteemup and Hive account@ecotrain, realising how valuable it is for teeny little fish to have the support of others around them. It's this that's the best development in the four months I've been steeming, because it's so disheartening when you post hard and get mere cents. The support of others can really boost you up and keep you going, even when you are ready to give the whole thing up.

Jamie as a young boy

Jamie as a (cough cough) young man toasting - um - life?

We obviously don't 'magically' transform from one state of existence to another, and there's a lot of people who supported us from being young in the hood to older and wiser in the hood. Little J. above couldn't imagine one day he'd be living in Australia with the woman of his dreams, and likewise, probably wouldn't have arrived here without said woman helping pack his bags, drugging him, and putting him on a plane (all jokes aside, he does thank me for this.)

Likewise, I can't thank enough the people who've supported me on the way. Sometimes I wasn't even sure what the support meant exactly. The generosity of my first daily upvote by Hive account@sjkennon of Hive account@steemspectacles was so exciting for me and it was the first time I thought my writing was maybe worth something. Hive account@choogirl's votes and Hive account@teamaustralia were instrumental in keeping me going too and I knew that if I posted quality content I'd continue to grow. Super early friendships have stayed with me since the first month - Hive account@mrprofessor where he found me on my shy introduce myself post, Hive account@mountainjewel not long after that. Hive account@artemislives, Hive account@holisticmom and others from the Ecotrain have also provided invaluable friendships and I'm sorry I can't namedrop you all, but you know who you are.

Sometimes I do want to take a break from Steemit, as I've heard that there is this thing called real life out there. Yet I miss so many people here when I'm gone. What's Hive account@digitaldan up to in his greenhouse? Where's Hive account@rainbowrachel's bubbly cheer? What amazing homesteading blog have Hive account@walkerland and Hive account@thelaundrylady come up with? What awesome anarchic thing is Hive account@movingman up to - is he giving away free food to the people on the street again or doing up another squat? What beautiful thing is Hive account@eco-alex doing for the community? What crazy wild story is Hive account@mrprofessor coming up with now? I literally had a nightmare that crypto was totes outlawed and Steemit went under, and I was so sad because I hadn't got any contact numbers for all these great people I'd met!

"What the hell have we done here?" pose

"Enjoying the fruits of our labour" pose

I was really impressed with Hive account@mountainjewel's efforts to help people make minnow and have been thinking alot about how I can help others on this platform too. She wrote (rightly) that one of the most amazing things about Steemit is it's ability to create abundance. Wren writes:

One of the things that is so revolutionary about Steem Blockchain is the potential for abundance. This varies greatly from current economic models because the foundation of this system entitles each person who "invests" in Steem a daily % of Voting Power to share with others. Sharing this Voting Power with others does not "take from" the Investor account, but in fact can even provide a "Curation Reward" for using the Voting Power daily. Mind blown!

The implications of this model are revolutionary. As we're seeing with @TribeSteemUp, this allows investors (huge ones like @jamesC, down to average sized minnows like me, @mountainjewel), to literally perpetuate and spread abundance by creating communities which can benefit from this investment advantage.

She continues:

I agree with @tarazkp and so many others who are trying to strengthen accounts to make a stronger middle class. We need more people with over 500 SP!!! We need investors who can continue to build the community.

I love her Starfish initiative and have been wondering what I can do to support Steemians to hit minnow. I'm no expert on how this can be done but I know there were small things that made a real difference to me, so please accept my very humble efforts.

My little boy at Glastonbury Abbey in love with King Arthur

My little boy in love with music and coffee and giving broody beardy looks

This brings me to this contest, where I'd really like to support someone transmogrify - or work! - to get toward minnow. I'd like for you to show me a before and after shot - of anything you like!! It could be any kind of transformation you like - your land, a community project, a renovation, a personal journey - as long as there's a few paragraphs or more of a story attached to it, and some photos to liven it up. I can't wait to see the magic of a 'before' and 'after' story and/or photo!

I'd also be more impressed with great formatting skills, and am more than happy to help you do this if you contact me on Discord too (I really do love helping people out!).

To enter, you must:

have less than 350 SP
be prepared to power up your steem and SBD to steempower to head toward minnow
resteem this post
drop the post link below as a comment
refer to this contest in your own post.
make sure all your work is your own

Prizes

I'm not a big player on Steemit by any means, but I'll offer what I can here.

The winner will receive 5SBD and upvotes from me for a month (one post per day)
2 other winners will recieve 2SBD each and my upvotes for a week (one post per day)

I might be able to offer a little more depending on where this post goes and how it's received. I'd love so much to hear your stories, no matter how insignificant they may seem, and I'm definitely not biased in any way about what form your transmogrification story might take.

So that's it - go for it!! Can't wait to see your magical transformations.

If you're already a minnow or can't participate in this contest for whatever reason, I'd dearly love for you to pass the word on about this contest in your steemstreams. Let's all do what we can to support the success of us all on Steemit!

https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmU9f4FK9j91cnUGYk9hnMXuYdAFcnF6ekkpXZ5DfiByfG

Want to find more quality posts? Consider the #tribesteemup trail, and adding them to your autovoting along with #ecotrain.. Please ask if you're unsure what this might mean for you.