thanks Hive account@eftnow.

I got demoralised on my first pass on steemit as I came on at a time I saw 'posting cliques' seeming to swamp Steemland here, and got tangled up reading the political spats between whales and minnows and 'reward pool rapers'.

I'm hoping I can still add value and find an audience for my stuff here and look forward to finding new meaningful connections.

Thanks for picking up that point - it really is quite major. I did it myself and remember a conversation with an older cousin when I was about 21 and he quietly gave space for my vociferous claims that I wouldn't be having children, seeming a little sad about my conviction.

It's funny I remember that conversation now - perhaps because with my family now complete with 4 children, I completely contradicted myself and am happier now with children (though with quite full hands!), than I ever was then with my passionate claims about how they were not for me.

Those claims of burden and 'the world is too horrible' were true for me. But they changed, even though I was oh-so-filled with conviction.

Thanks for commenting and sharing. Really appreciate it.