This contest requires us to rewrite our intro post on Hive using only positive language and also to answer a set of 4 questions. I figured that I'd like to combine this challenge with Three Tune Tuesday #ttt run by Hive account@ablaze (more on #ttt can be found at the foot of this post) and share a few songs that have impacted me along the way...

Well let's hit the ground running, shall we?!

This first song is pretty much an anthem for my life and I have loved it since my mid-teens. It's a song of a journey, a song of hope, an anthem for life - it is looking for that space within which to discover what is important to each and every one of us. And it is carving out your own niche, your own space in this crazy beautiful world that we live in. It takes time and our path will be littered with cycles of highs and lows, but in the end we will find it.

As John says... sometimes we will

soar like an eagle

and sometimes

weep in despair

But we will eventually find our space when we

look in the center and suddenly everything's clear.

and we

find (ourselves) in the sunshine and (our) dreams

_{John Denver - Looking For Space - full lyrics}

On the road of experience, join in the living day.
If there's an answer it's just that it's just that way,
When you're looking for space and to find out who you are.
When you're looking to try and reach the stars.
It's a sweet, sweet dream...

When I joined the VYB Curation Project for the newly formed VYB front end and community, Hive account@calumam decided that it would be a really cool idea for each of us to choose a fun server name in discord. His own personal choice was in the mold of a superhero of sorts, and I thought...if not, why not? This looks like fun! And then I got to thinking... which superhero should I choose? I took a quick look around... and for once I thought...

You know what? Go big! or go home! Aim high, girl! You've got this!!! You have an unstoppable spirit.

And with that, I chose to become known as Wonder Woman on the VYB Discord Server. Now... I did not choose Wonder Woman because I believed that I was anything like Wonder Woman... I believe that the name chose me because I love what she stands for ❣️ And I figured if I want a fun role model for VYB, who is better than Princess Diana of Themyscira!

Diana has made it her duty to lead by example, even if the differences between her birthplace and new home sometimes present hurdles for her to jump. She has come to represent the possibility and potential of life without war, hate or violence, and she is a beacon of hope to all who find themselves in need. She stands as an equal among the most powerful Super Heroes, with a sense of purpose to protect the world from injustice in all forms.

Diana's job, however, is anything but easy. Constantly torn between her mission to promote peace and her need to fight back against the pervasive violence of her new home, Diana struggles to walk a line between her warrior strength and endless compassion each and every day. source

_{Wonder Woman (Unstoppable - SIA) - full lyrics}

I'll tell you what you want to hear
Keep my sunglasses on while I shed a tear
It's never the right time, yeah, yeah
I'll put my armor on,
Show you how strong I am
I'll put my armor on,
I'll show you that I am
I'm unstoppable

This song is incredibly uplifting. It's like a kick start to the day. It motivates and inspires. Being unstoppable, having the confidence and character to choose wisely and choose well. To go out and fight the good fight. To be a warrior in the thick of things... coming alongside those who need our strength, our love, and support.

I am a sensitive soul. So my thoughts and feelings tend to run deep. I truly do feel the struggle of walking the line and the choices that we are all faced with each and every day. When faced with adversity, aggression, or discord, which weapon or resource, from within our arsenal, do we reach for?... which should we reach for?...

My lesson learned... whenever possible...

Choose love.

Every time.

Have the gentle heart of a warrior and use it for good; be a warrior for yourself and one for those who do not have the strength to stand alone. Be compassionate. If all you ever see is a nail, you will always choose the hammer. Just because you can, doesn't mean that you should. It's not always easy, and I have not always picked wisely, but I believe that I am learning to find balance with my own inner Diana, and this brings me great happiness 😊

A number of people that I am closer to... cut across different servers that we share in common...and so the name has kinda stuck a bit... and now I just have to suck it up when people tell me as a compliment that I am a Wonder Woman to them. Whilst I don't like all the attention and tend to deflect a lot, it does feel good to be appreciated for the little that I do in supporting and bringing happiness to those around me. On the outside, I may be cursing and running 😂 but inside... my heart is doing a little dance of joy. 💗

I am all heart and a sensitive emotional being (although my mind loves a good tug-of-war... and can get in the way sometimes lol). If someone close to me is going through a tough time, I feel the weight of their sadness... I sit alongside them and feel their pain, although I do what I can to shift and uplift too. If the people I surround myself with are feeling euphoric and happy, I connect with that positive energy and feel uplifted myself.

Being in touch with my emotions... my heart can get poked easily, even if I don't always let on 😅 Shucks! I'm a bit of a softy 😳 I care and love deeply, whether it be with my own family or my friends. If I let you into my space... you best be prepared for my heart 🤭 But being like this means I share vulnerabilities... if I am in the moment with you and we connect, I am not afraid to share my heart. I know I am entrusting a lot... because believe me... my heart is precious to me... just as the hearts of others are precious to me too. But I believe that I am a pretty good judge of character... and so I trust most people to be as gentle with my heart as I try to be with theirs.

When I am struggling... I withdraw... not completely... but I engage very little, if at all. I don't pick up the phone to talk to family and friends because I am living whatever it is that I am dealing with... and I just don't want to have to talk about it too... or pretend to be interested in something else when my heart and or mind are being kept captive by something else. I write less, if at all. During those times, I am just trying to survive, to endure, to ride it out. Now, sometimes my life just gets very busy too... and I have a very similar result playing out lol... but I trust those closest to me to recognise the difference.

When I most need people... tends to be when I withdraw from them the most.

Counter-intuitive?

Definitely.

Why do I do it?

If I'm honest... probably because I'm hurting and if I start sharing, the cracks will start to show and I'm gonna be an emotional basketcase lol... so I put on that armour and stand strong instead. And the person who breaks through that shell... they get my tears... my hurts, my frustrations, my brokenness, my sadness... all of it... but they also end up getting my love and gratitude... because I need to let go and experience it.

These days I am extremely blessed to have Christ in my life and I talk with Him regularly. The blessing of His compassionate love and sacrifice overwhelms me some days but I can get emotional with him in a good way... a way that heals with every tear being shed. These final two songs echo these sentiments in ways that make these songs very special to me.

_{Lauren Daigle - You Say - full lyrics}

You say I am loved when I can't feel a thing
You say I am strong when I think I am weak
You say I am held when I am falling short
When I don't belong, oh You say I am Yours
And I believe, (I) oh I believe (I)
What You say of me

_{Elevation Worship feat. Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes - The Blessing - full lyrics}

This song changed so much for me. I cried when I first listened to it. The tears just streamed down my face - uncontrollably. Happy tears! I felt every piece of emotion in this absolutely beautiful and gorgeous song of worship. I felt like I was coming face to face with Christ's presence and love, and my life was forever changed on that day.

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you
In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

It did not matter anymore that I had human limitations, that I would invariably fall... only to get up and do it all again! Because He would be ever present in my life and would be there to pick me up... I finally understood that... I am His and He is for me.

Now... on to Snook's questions:

a. Where are you the happiest?

This is relative to the situation, and the preciseness of the question.

I always say:

The mountains are my happy place, my friends and family, my rocks...

So give me a mountain and someone special to share it with, and I am at my happiest. If I don't have my friends or family with me, then I will be happy in solitude with God as my companion as I purvey and absorb the wonders of his beautiful creation. If I don't have a mountain close by to explore, then surround me with the love of a good friend (s), or a family member, and I will still be happy. You know the kind of person where the energy just flows naturally and it's beautiful and all you feel for the other person is a deep outpouring of genuine love and affection.

I am also often at my happiest when I am writing... if my heart and soul connect with a thought, an idea...and they both grow together in synchronicity... I can write all night! And relish every word that goes down onto paper. I will have tabs open for research, tabs for dictionary, and thesaurus... and I will be back and forth writing as if my life depended on it hehe.

b. What positive traits can you bring to a team?

With me... it's WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) - mostly! There are some things I don't share about myself as readily, but I'm pretty transparent. You will get authenticity and honesty, passion and drive for projects that I fall in love with, and a genuine desire to make life better for those around me.

c. What is something positive about you that some might see as negative?

Hmmm... I love collaborating but I am also an overthinker. I want to be inclusive and give value to everyone's input... but sometimes in teams, that becomes counter-productive to the end goal. We can collaborate and brainstorm and take some decisions together, but sometimes we just need the leader to lead and make the decisions that need to be made. I'm learning to regain balance in this area.

My own personal standards are quite high (for myself more than others - although there are some lines that cannot be crossed by anyone!). If I don't meet the standards that I set for myself, it dumps me hard. I get very disappointed in myself to the point of berating myself and can feel quite emotional. The strange thing is that I should treat myself with the same level of kindness that I try to bestow on others in these circumstances... but I don't... This is another thing I am learning to do though... to be more gentle with myself because dwelling on my own spilled milk is not helping anyone, y'all!!!

d. What has been/is your favorite positive surprise about Hive?

True connection, genuine friendship - finding kindred spirits who engage with authenticity and love; people who share their hearts freely, and who put their hearts at the centre of everything they do here on the blockchain. People who keep showing up for each other every single day and who lead with love and generosity of spirit.

This is possibly the longest post I have written on Hive. It's not my fault.