Why Am I Still Here.......

I honestly have no idea..... after the events of the last few weeks and seeing all the posts from everyone on the same topic it's all really got me thinking about it...

Why?

To answer that question we have to go back to the reason I came here in the first place...

Back in January of 2017 @jessamynorchard was in town to play some music at a benefit show for a friends' family that had just passed away and mentioned to me that night that there was this awesome new place I could go and share my photography with people that might actually like it and I make a little money too!

I was sold.....

The next day I created an account and started posting like crazy just trying to get someone... anyone.... to respond to what I was doing....

After a few days I saw some upvotes that were very encouraging so I kept going...

We took a trip to Memphis and I shared the photos I took and got my first Blocktrades vote and it got very exciting! I mean c'mon... 30$ for some pictures I took doing something I love?

I was hooked....

I entered @jamtaylor's #steemitphotochallenge every week and won several times!! It was awesome to say the least! I never in a million years thought things would go the way they did!

Fast forward several months later I decided to start sharing some of the portrait work that I have done and people really seemed to like it, so I thought why not.... I posted more and more and more and more votes and comments came in and it eventually turned in to me starting the Steemit #PortraitContest that's still happening today....

Fast forward again to the present, i've slowed down posting besides keeping up with the #portraitcontest posts every week, i'm burnt out..... i've taken a few breaks but I keep coming back and voting on content that I like... every...single... day for over 3 years now... but I digress...

Back to the big question... WHY AM I STILL HERE??

I've seen the highest highs and the lowest lows of the price of steem but it hasn't been about that for me for a very long time. I mean don't get me wrong who doesn't love making money, but for me the number one reason i'm still here is the AMAZING photography that I find here EVERY DAY! The second reason is the community! ALL OF YOU! There are the bad actors and people butting heads over silliness, but after the actions of everyone here over the last few weeks i'm honestly proud to be here and to have been part of this community for 42 moons now!

I don't see myself going anywhere any time soon unless the whole community decides to move to a new chain or something else crazy happens... So CHEERS! TO THREE MORE YEARS ON STEEM!!!

Thanks to @theycallmedan for the initiative, i'm a little late getting this up but I wanted to share anyway....