Nice that you write here that it was enjoyable i'm always afraid that i might be boring people to death with my stories.
But i too would like to encourage anyone here to seek real life interactions with other forum members.
Thus far, they all have been exceptionaly good, and i don't think i'm otherwise short of interesting people around me.
@louftard
You're in belgium right? that's a very easy to reach part of europe. That would be great if you'de convince your wife
As an example of how people with multiple, varied interests have a large menu of activities to choose from when they get together, @Jean and I jammed board games into every "free" moment we had when he stopped in Tucson, but this was in addition to talking about ERE lifestyle, cooking, and going on a short walk up a steep hill.
I think an important factor in clique prevention is the fact that the ERE forums have a strong journaling culture. Meeting people whose journals you've been reading for years is quite a different experience from mingling with actual strangers at e.g. a conference.
It even came up in conversation that in some cases, we knew more intimate details of each others' lives than our 'real life' friends, because of what we had shared in our journals.
I only knew one person there before attending, but it didn't feel like it. The context from the journals gave the whole thing a vibe that was more like 'meeting 20 friends who you haven't spent time with in person yet' than 'meeting 20 strangers with a shared interest'.
I was surprised when @Quadelupe told me he had read my journal in preparation for our arrival, and I was also surprised to hear @mountainFrugal talk about my journal. I don't know why it surprised me so much. Surprise aside, it really does let one skip a lot of "background information" and get straight to talking about the interesting stuff, in addition to knowing what might be interesting to all parties involved.
I also took it upon myself to talk to those that might have ended up on the outside (new arrivals, +1's, those not imbedded in a MMG), but it turned out to not be necessary at all. Actively observing and looking for those opportunities, those folks all seemed to join the fold as quickly and easily as everyone else.
I'm back after a couple weeks of travel. (Barely back home in Guatemala - looots of protesting/blocking roads going on due to election meddling).
Anyway.... Same basic feedback as everyone else. A massive two thumbs up and hell yeah to next year.
1) observations - wow did I love it more than I could of imagined. It did take some initiative to find it, manage transportation to it, took some social energy to show up (so glad I came early to a) ease into a crowd of unknowns and b) to spend extra time with awesome people). It was interesting to see the shift down to the main house after a few days by Serenity, the surprisingly awesome outdoor bathroom etc. Camping was great. Dang we ate well for so little. Dang G+J spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Skill shares were awesome. Perhaps a little more structure to make sure we don't leave awesome value on the table. Morning movement was cool. The headline to me was - amazing group of super interesting, kind, and welcoming people. I'm super stoked to have been an attendee. I like your ideas @AH for more roles and delegating them all. Coffee station was awesome, could easily be kicked up a notch. Mo Shade Mo Betta.
2) results/decisions/motivations - I left super motivated and invigorated to lean into ERE philosophy even more. Skills are amazing. I'm building a little shack for me to sleep in when people want to Airbnb my house. For sure I'll do what I can to recreate the outdoor bathroom - I don't need to stinkin hot water heater and a yes I'll poo in a bucket. I fell off the spending wagon a little bit with the couple weeks of travel after ERE Fest but climbing back on! Had some amazing (very valuable) experiences and if it means I need to go back and work a little more then totally worth it. Oh I'm joining a MMG so that's great - looking forward to increased participation/activity to build on the new friendships. Y'all feel like my people now and I couldn't be more stoked. Where is the heart emoji when you need one. <3
Related to trying to be more active... struggling to get Tapatalk working. It looks like it used to work and I didn't see any discussion about it breaking/being turned off. Does it work?
i'm always afraid that i might be boring people to death with my stories.
