Hello Steemians! When I joined Steemit several months ago, I intended to start posting right away. Then I got distracted with life, as happens sometimes. Plus, it's ALWAYS easy to avoid writing, especially about yourself; somehow every time I sat down to introduce myself on Steemit, I could suddenly find three dozen other things I needed to do.

A recent photo of me, so y'all know I'm real :)

So what is prompting me to do this now, after about 6 months of procrastination, avoidance, and fear? Well, meditation is helping. I notice more quickly when I get distracted or want to avoid doing things that I actually want to do. Also, several of my favorite creators recently announced they are moving over to Steemit (namely, Jimmy Dore, Lee Camp, and Mint Press News), and that was the final kick in the pants I needed to say "okay, no more waiting around."

I am truly excited to become a part of this global community (dare I say movement?), and to make new friends and contacts all over the world. I really believe that Steemit, with the openness and supportiveness of its community, among other unique features, has the potential to accelerate the human community along its path toward the change many of us want to see. That is to say, a just, kind, peaceful, abundant world, and a people who realize we are but a small part of a boundless network of life and splendor.

To that end, my primary goal in joining Steemit is twofold: one, I wanted to get off Facebook/Twitter/etc. And I did. (Well, Facebook at least, but I rarely check Twitter. And full disclosure: I remain 100% addicted to YouTube.) So that was Goal 1(a).

Goal 1(b): to write. Both for myself, and for public consumption. I have a lot I want to say, and I haven't found a proper outlet within which to express it. My day job as a clinical social worker generally does not allow for full expression of my personality, I have found. And so, I will be both aiming to cultivate an outlet for my self-expression, and hoping to find and hone my writing voice in the process.

A photo of the Moberi Smoothie Cart sign from my wedding, just 'cuz

My main intentions are to post something once a week, and to keep my writings concise. Keeping to these intentions will be hard for me, but I will do my best with both. As for the focus of my writing, this is something that is likely to change and will hopefully take shape over time. But, broadly speaking, I intend to write about the connection between personal processes and larger social systems. Put another way: how do changes that take place within us relate to, and often impact, changes on a global scale? Alternately, how does internal inertia impact, or connect to, societal inertia? Taken literally, this question has a fairly obvious answer: if and when we make changes within ourselves, we contribute to change on a larger scale. Fair point. So now that we have that answer, my goal will be to explore the myriad ways this manifests in our lives.

Most of this will be through my own reflections. And, it may change over time. So please be patient, and kind! I will welcome feedback and criticism from anyone and everyone, and I only ask that the tone of communication be respectful. (Based on my limited experience on Steemit so far, I have little reason to doubt this will be the case.) I fundamentally respect everyone's right to speak and to be heard, and I look forward to exchanging ideas, both through my own writings and through other ways of engaging in the broader Steemit community. Best, Chris