This is my face on Steemit for just about the first time. Glass shattered. Privacy concerns back-burnered. Manual red-eye reduction novice.
It’s the middle of the night at SteemFest and I can’t sleep. I woke up feeling that it was time for another glorious all-you-can-eat hotel breakfast, but it was 5:10 AM, and I only got 3 hours of sleep. I ate so much at yesterday’s breakfast that I didn’t need lunch or dinner. You may be thinking that I must be starving right now, and you’re absolutely right.
Instead of rolling around for 3 more hours thinking about how much jet lag sucks, I thought I’d take the opportunity to say one big thank you to one special friend. This person not only played an enormous role over the span of months to get me out of my shell to go to Poland, but more importantly, they've been a constant beacon of positive encouragement for me on Steemit, and in life, during difficult times.
The Good Stuff:
The picture above is 
She’s also been an ice breaking wrecking ball for me with introductions, and in keeping her word that she’d make sure I didn’t feel like an outsider. Wingman/Wingwoman for each other when needed, she also now has a personal security guard for any potentially uncomfortable late night walks.
After tripping on each other as bright-eyed new minnows back around August 2017, we connected instantly and have developed a great quality friendship. If you asked me last year if I’d ever imagine watching hours of ukulele videos, vlogs, or have a female confidant based in the tip-top corner of Washington state, I would’ve never ever guessed it.
I'd also never expect to turn to a blockchain-based blogging platform to open up about healing from a schizophrenic ex, my abusive Dad's painfully slow decline from brain cancer, and my Mom's miraculous survival from a freak accident that had her locked up in hospitals for 5 months. Regardless, someone was there every time. Someone was also there to leave a comment on my the drum videos I poured my heart into so I knew someone listened. She gets a permanent pass for understandably avoiding some of my borderline jokes. It's funny how life works, yadda yadda.
I’ve enjoyed watching her passion, dedication, and authentic nature catapult her into a Steemit superstar. However, I’ve most enjoyed the mutual respect we’ve had and organically cultivated since day one. Lea is simply an awesome human being. You can tell right off the bat and I've genuinely felt like I could trust her outside of Steemit. She really cares about people, and has personally gone way out of her way to give me plenty of climbing holds to grab on to when my family life imploded, as well as when my hope on Steemit was floundering. Her respectful words alone would be more than enough, but her kind and thoughtful actions steal the show.
I'm thankful that I can return her kindness in person this week. It was a large part of why I took the leap of faith...
This ingenious young woman brilliantly exemplifies Steemit’s potential when you play your cards right. She inspires and helps countless people around the world embody what Steem Power is all about without cutting corners. She’s earned the right to be considered a role model for new Steemians, and I hope that 
Do yourself a favor and please get to know her. Please also support her dedication towards growing our community. Give me a few drinks and I'll ask
There you have it, not even close to 1,000 words, but you get the. picture.
There’s also one other particularly funny person I’ll be thanking in the coming days, but ladies first.
Thank you, Lea. You're one in a million.
Matt