There is an uncomfortable trend going on, and I feel I am inevitably becoming part of it: It may be called a Hive Hiatus if you wanna be fancy, but in my case I'd call the child by its name, that is a gradually receding blogging enthusiasm. So what's going on? What are the reasons for posting less and less frequently, and what can I do to act against this downward spiral? In fact, is it just me, or whatever is happening generally on this community? Before I start theorizing, let me just assess the current situation a bit.
[image source](https://pixabay.com/photos/typewriter-write-old-vintage-8622984/)The Good Old Days
It feels like it was just yesterday, back when I was new on the blockchain, and the social community was bubbling vibrantly. I remember the feeling of walking down the street, letting my mind wander, and every second thought seemed like a perfect topic for a blog post. It could be something food related, a mural I saw and wanted to share, or maybe a book or some music I felt like discussing. Otherwise there were plenty things to write about sustainability, whether theoretical musings or practical applications. In fact, the times when I was involved in amazing projects, and one may assume that I didn't have time to write any posts, is when some of the most interesting post came out.
A huge reason, maybe the most important one, was the responses and comments from other Hiveans I could always count on. This is what convinced me to stay at the very beginning, and this is what has proven to be a stronger motivation than the financial payouts (which I don't want to ignore, regardless). However, at the moment my entirely subjective feeling tells me all of that is somewhere in the past. So what happened?
Bloggers Taking Some Time Out
This is nothing new. Ever since I first found our (or to more exact, the previous) blockchain, I noticed how people not just come but also go. Quite often, after getting to know the person through various posts, and more importantly through interacting in subsequent comments, they would just up and leave. Not that I want to judge them for it, after all, we all have our lives and our reasons for doing or not doing things. Still, it's a bit sad when you realize that one person you've been following stops posting for a while... until you realize that they most likely won't be back.
On a few occasions they may announce a hiatus, sometimes even saying why, or simply stating that they have their reasons for not posting for a while. This could be a long while, stretching into permanence, but there have been times when a known and treasured Hivean actually came back. What I saw then was anything but pretty: Whatever their reason may have been for leaving, and for coming back, after their return things were quite different. After a few enthusiastic "let's do some epic work" kinda posts there came another week or two without anything, only to be followed by a sobering "it's not worth it" type of realization, or simply nothing at all.
Obviously, their follower and voter base was also not the same, thanks to their time out. Fewer reblogs, and fewer upvotes could have a discouraging effect, but what gets me is the lack of comments on their most recent posts. That feels like a slap in the face, even to me as a reader. But that, I think is something to be counted on, I guess, if your posting becomes sporadic, like mine has done.
What Am I Still Doing on Hive?
Well, there are still lots of murals to be shared...! Or movies that I've watched, food that I've tried, or music I've heard. And why not? Those are never ending topics for times when I'm not involved in some epic project. I just need to get myself excited about writing posts about them! Then there is all the crypto gaming side, which for me has become a game of anticipating the newest smashers to come out, like HoloZing and CraftInk. But I suppose that is all more some kind of hope for a next Splinterlands, which I haven't been playing for years any more, just renting my cards out, or more recently farming them. Talking about tuning down! And even there I've been noticing how I forget about the weekly harvesting, in a way how I failed to keep up staking my LEO for InLeo's LPUD on the 15th of the month. Not a good trend all in all.
A Way to Reactivate Myself?
So what can I do get excited again? The other day we went out for lunch and ended up in the same double restaurant I once posted about. It was weird to remember how psyched I was about the Covid-terrace serving two eateries at the same time. Now I want to get back to that same state. The best way? Probably doing precisely what caused that sensation in the first place!
Are you happy because of what you do, or do you do it because it makes you happy? Does it matter either way?
This means, all I need to do to become an enthusiastic Hivean again, is to simply get back into the groove, and post posts. That's it. So that's what I'll do. Writing 5 posts a week for the rest of the year should be doable, while I hope it should have the desired effect. The rest should come on its own. If not, that will be a definite sign to move on, but honestly, I don't feel like leaving Hive. Not for a shorter or longer hiatus, not for a while, not at all. I'm here for the long run, because beside the momentary satisfaction it offers me a lot more on the long run. And for that I owe thanks to all of you, especially if you have read this far. :-)
