Who needs Blogging Friends?

I have read quite a few times about the importance of finding your tribe within the blogging community. Those people that you can call your “gang” but importantly, your friends.

Despite the fact that I have been blogging for almost 7 years now, although only openly across social media for 20 months, I have never found my “tribe”.

At times it is hard to build these relationships where I have also seen the nasty side of the community; negativity in Twitter threads, Facebook posts, pages and groups and comments and all, at times, have left me asking “Where is the love?”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have some wonderful friendships with other bloggers, many of whom I would say are some of my closest friends on and offline, but these are all individual friendships that are not part of a collective group.

They are, however, very important to me; friendships with people like Ally, Carla, Natalie, Donna, Stevie, Hannah, Julie, Alan, Claire and Natalie of which all help me get through my blogging week and I am really grateful to them for that but we are not one massive group!

Yet, in events like BML it can be quite daunting because you know that the majority of these online friendships aren’t going and you almost want that safety in numbers. As well as seeing many already established groups together.

Yet, despite not having a “tribe” and my individual friendships, mentioned above, I realise how many blogging friends I have that I might have not recognised before.

I decided this year that I would take my wheelchair to BML which, for anyone who knows me, was a brave move, even if it meant swallowing my pride!

However, the wheelchair isn’t motorised and I don’t have the physical strength to self-propel; I would have to ask for help.

There were many people that I knew going that I would say I have online “relationships” with but to help physically is quite a personal thing and quite a burden to put on anyone.

Yet, people were there.

Tony, Tim, Dave and John

(Dave,  Emma and Tony)

These giants of men helped me out. Yes, they are giants not just because I am some random Hobbit sized man but because of their ability to help and make inappropriate jokes at the same time all with ease.

This is a new thing for me. I don’t really have male friends and from experience not many men are usually willing to help but these guys did!

Then there are the girls.

(Chantal, Faye and Jade)

I think by now we all know about the 5am fire alarm that brought chaos kindly woke us. I also think many of you are aware of the appalling response the hotel had with evacuating me.

When I checked in to the hotel they did ask if I needed assistance in the room and I said no although I did ask for assistance in evacuation!

Why would I need help? I get out of bed and dressed every day by myself, I will be fine!

I wasn’t.

I was heavily medicated so it was all a blur to start. What I do know though is that Emma, Jade and Faye came to my rescue. I won’t go through it all but the important thing was that they were there; they helped (a lot) when I struggled and stayed with me throughout when they could have just looked after themselves; a selfless act that I truly appreciate! (Yet, they could have just asked if they wanted to see me in my boxers!)

(Emma and I waiting for evacuation)

Then, finally, there is Carla.

Carla is one of my closest friends, mentioned above, that I have made through blogging. She is funny, sarcastic and a straight talker which in my books makes her pretty cool!

What I didn’t expect was for her to stay with me all day and I definitely didn’t expect her to push me around!

It wasn’t a prearranged agreement. The plan for me was to use the chair as much as possible but to still walk if I could. Yet, she still stuck by me every step, or at least wheel, of the way.

Yet, she knew that I would do more damage than good self-propelling; the more I use my arms then the more tired I would become and wouldn’t be able to do simple things like stand up out of it. So she pushed without being asked.

However, behind this incredible friendship and act of kindness was a loving self-sacrifice that needs to be mentioned.  You see Carla is a walking cocktail of mess! With having Fibromyalgia, hypermobility syndrome, general fatigue, insomnia, and chronic pain and, for anyone who noticed, she had her knee supported where she had sprained it; it was literally the blind leading the blind.

Yet, she stayed, helped, pushed, mocked me and helped whenever she could.

So who needs blogging friends? I do!

I might not have a tribe but I have people that care and I am proud to call them my friends! 

Thank you for all the help you gave me!

If I have missed anyone I am sorry but all this being nice thing is beginning to make me feel a bit sick! ;)