gratitude

[serene]

I just want to express my gratitude to my friends.

To all of you who care when I'm happy and still care when I'm sad.

To all of you who understand when I am overwhelmed by life, and welcome me
back to activity when I can handle it again.

To all of you who get that I'm a good person even though I don't believe
in god or faith or monogamy or the USDA Food Pyramid.

To all of you who trust me with your stuff, even though you know I'm a
flake who can't keep a secret (and all of you who do me the favor of not
telling me stuff you don't want others to know).

To all of you who bless me with your castoffs, because you understand that
most of the things of value in my life were lovingly owned by other people
before me, and that I think that's beautiful and right and good.

And to all of you who bless my home, my friends page, my inbox, my
mailbox, and my life with your goodness and presence.

Thank you.

Thank you from the bottom of my everloving heart.

Comments

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Thank *you,* for being what you want your friends to be.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

*massive smoochy hugs*

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

I, too, am feeling so grateful to my friends right now.

To all of you who trust me with your stuff, even though you know I'm a
flake who can't keep a secret

Thanks for the full disclosure. Good to know!

Glad to be on your f-list. Hope to see you again in "realtime" some time soon

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

My answer to "Can you keep a secret?" is always something like "No, but if you know that and want to tell me anyway, I'm listening."

And I hope so, too. I may be bugging you with a bunch of gardening questions soon. :-)

(Just so you know, I know we've only met once, but I liked you instantly, and I've told my local friends that I think you're someone worth getting to know.)

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

Aw shucks, thanks. Yes, gardening questions are welcome. Speaking of which, I may have some verbena starts if you're interested in flowers.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

I would love that! We got some lemon verbena in the organic box, and it made lovely tea.

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

This verbena isn't edible i don't think - It's just a purty flower. I dunno, maybe it is edible, I never thought to look that up. I'll drop you an e-mail when I decide for sure whether or not I can find a place for it.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Thanks! No pressure either way, and I love flowers. :-)

[flippac.livejournal.com]

For personal reference, can you keep secrets from falling outside of a "safe circle" (your decision as to safe, but eg won't end up anywhere googlable)?

You've got one of mine (ask me on MSN or email or somewhere friends-locked if you want confirmation of what), but if it slips I won't go crazy - my fault for not having asked you first.

Anyway, I guess I'll catch you when I catch you - have enjoyed talking so far.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

The way it seems to work for me is that I tell my partners whatever comes up in conversation, without censoring (which probably does not, in this case, include your secret, but I'm only guessing what that is, and I'll ask you later).

For other people, it's easy for me to avoid things that have obvious "personal info" tags in my brain. Examples: I don't generally talk about other people's sexual orientation, medical history, things like that, unless I know they're out about those things or it would be lying about my own life to do so. (I would never try to hide that a female partner of mine was queer, because that would mean lying about what she is to me.) It just would never seem like an appropriate topic of conversation.

Also, I feel I should say that I'm not *refusing* to keep people's private stuff private. I do my very best to keep private things private, but my best sucks, probably because not much about *me* is private, so I don't have a built-in red flag for sensitive information.

I just like for people to know that, because I feel awful when I fail. I did it to a very dear friend a while back, and while I know she still loves me, I still cringe when I think about it. (I told a secret of hers to the exact person she wanted to keep it from, and I still cannot believe it happened. I think, though, that it may have been easier for her to forgive me because she knew this about me.)

[flippac.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure I don't mind your partners knowing so long as they're similarly careful with it and pretty sure it'd get a personal info tag. I'd guess that your guess is right, but if we carry on down that route all sorts of silliness could happen - which almost leaves me inclined to make something up we can be silly about :-)

Thanks for the clarification - I get where you're coming from and that's cool.

[leback.livejournal.com]

I adore you.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

*beam* Likewise. You're one of those folks I really wish I lived around the corner from.

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

You know what you've been for me. I hope I manage to give back what you've given. I'm so glad I know you, and I'm *so* glad you're nearby.

***hugs***

[supergee.livejournal.com]

As you said in a recent post, you've got good friends because you deserve them.

[ptigris.livejournal.com]

*slides in at her table and winks*

Et vous, cherie.

[redbird]

To all of you who trust me with your stuff, even though you know I'm a
flake who can't keep a secret (and all of you who do me the favor of not
telling me stuff you don't want others to know).

This works because you know you can't keep secrets, and aren't ashamed of it; problems arise, in my experience, when someone thinks they can keep secrets and can't, or doesn't want to admit they can't or won't, or doesn't see why other people want them kept. Knowing that you'll talk about people means that I can decide what to share with you.

Me, I can keep secrets if they're appropriately flagged: I don't automatically know what other people want kept quiet. And in some ways it's easier for me to keep someone else's business private than my own, because not mentioning my partners, for example, leaves holes in what I'm talking about; not mentioning $friend's partners or adventures doesn't.

[jb98.livejournal.com]

Awww, I'm so grateful that you're in my life. *smooch*

[smashingstars.livejournal.com]

What, you don't have a 6-foot replica in the Food Pyramid in your living room? I don't believe it. Ah well, I still think you're all kinds of awesome.

[flippac.livejournal.com]

6 feet is a bit big for a dartboard, no?

[vito-excalibur.livejournal.com]

Right back atcha. In all sincerity. :)

[kalmn.livejournal.com]

*smooch*

[loracs.livejournal.com]

Diabetic girl here going into a comma with all this squishy, sweet stuff. Ya should put a warning on this! Quick, someone throw me a sarcastic post.

Now for a slightly less wise-ass response.
"Friends are as friends do" and you do a lot on-line and off in the friendship department. If I every made a gratitude list, having you as a friend would make the top ten!

[pir-anha.livejournal.com]

even though I don't believe [...] the USDA Food Pyramid

ok that's it, we're through!

:)

[purpletigron.livejournal.com]

*hugs* are offered!

[ailbhe]

I love that you don't believe in faith.

[baerana.livejournal.com]

*hugs*