Why Am I Here on Medium?
Because I Always Come Back to Love
Jk Mansi posed the question, “Why Do You Write on Medium”? and James Finn tagged me in his post which is where I responded with some of the following . . .
In November of 2015, I logged onto Medium after lurking about for a few weeks. One of my closest friends (Tracy Holmes) led me here and I’ve been here ever since. Medium is the metropolitan centerstage of any writing community. I think it has it all and I count myself blessed to be amongst great and vast talent that knows no bounds. I was terribly shelled up in 2015 and barely made my way out of it. If Medium was not here, I doubt I’d be as vocal, expressive, forthcoming, passionate, and a huge fan of connectivity. Medium is where I learned how to build, maintain, and honor community.
The photo you see above was my profile picture for maybe two years? I was constantly mistaken for a guy and I would politely correct people by saying, “But I am a woman,” so they would know and be informed for future interactions. During that timeframe on Medium, it was easy to fall into a conversation with someone. The comments section became its own thread and would most times show up in one’s feed and anyone could jump in and express themselves if they deemed fit. This place drew me in, stuck its claws in me, and has not lost its grip.
Medium is where I found my tribe, people who shared my love for writing and some of my struggles too. I made my home mostly in This Glorious Mess where myself, H. Nemesis Nyx, Alexainie, Classical Sass, Sean Howard, and Jen Brown were Editors. Through this community, I learned how to wholeheartedly accept others, create a safe space for them to share their hearts with us, and to be understanding of things that I had no idea of or wherewithal on how to be an understanding person prior to this marriage of the minds and hearts. In TGM, I learned to flourish without feeling ashamed and gained lifelong family too. For this, I am forever grateful.
From the beginning of 2016 until October of 2016, I hosted one-lined poems where every week, I’d post a theme and invite every writer on Medium to join in and respond with a one-lined poem linked to that theme. I had no clue that something I learned from a devoted and passionate writer on WordPress would lead me to connect with so many amazing minds willing to share their thoughts on a theme in just one line. It is also where I met walkerjo lee, a brilliant writer and collaborator. Our styles mesh perfectly together and I feel as though when we work on a project, so much of our ancestors come out that the piece writes itself. I love the beauty of writing so much more because of these connections.
The prompt became so popular during those months, that in September of 2016, Medium hosted a tab entitled “One-line poems” and invited its users to email them with their one-lined poems for a chance to be featured on Medium’s homepage. Not only was light being shone on the smaller part of Medium but writers who were not used to being featured were lifted up and hosted for their creative talent— all gathered from their hearts and placed in one line poetic form. I bowed out as hostess in October of 2016 and invited anyone willing to take on the prompt to do so. The amazing Editors at Chalkboard made that happen and it is still such a joy to see those micro-poetic pieces surge through my feed.
In September 2016, we all also began to feel the brunt of the upcoming election. People were dying left and right. Lives were taken at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them. A menacing human being, only content with the likes of himself, money, and purposeless gain, was quite close to taking office. The pressure from it all could be felt all over Medium. Another lovely soul, one who is no longer here on Medium, stated that we needed to do something. She envisioned one million flames lit on Medium — the purpose? Solidarity, one love, hope in humanity, and the coming together of like minds to do some good. And with that, Light Up Medium, Light Up the World was born:
When I think about how much I have grown and the people I have come to know, care for and worry about, I am thankful for Medium. Sure, I have days where anxiety creeps in and I want to log off and run far away from the not so friendly reminders of some crappy days here, but the overall goodness . . . That is what keeps me here. Every time I feel the need to run, I always come back — there are far more than words that matter now — there are people and hearts and places and things. And love.
I always come back to love.
Thank you, Jk Mansi for wanting to know. Thank you all for reading.
©2019 Tremaine L. Loadholt. All Rights Reserved
