On this day....

As referenced at the end of my last post, today marks the anniversary of something very important to me.

It is only the one year anniversary but it is without a doubt worth a mention....


On this day, one year ago, i was introduced to this lovely community here :)


I discovered the joys of A Rent Boy Named and the lovely bunch of folks who comment on it.

I don't remember exactly how i came across it, i think i was looking for naughty stuff :P
But i seen the website and clicked on it.
I read the first chapter and was immediately engrossed, i read 33 chapters before commenting.

Then somehow i managed to pull myself away from the story to get sleep.
But the next day i was right back at it and i think i finished reading the story in about 3 days. There was only 77 chapters at the time but i did 'em all in a few days.

I thought it was the end but then i seen chapter 78 posted and i've been constantly returning to the site.


But getting to talk to all the people there and reading the story, i think, helped me realise who i was.
It was only about this time last year i accepted myself as gay, or at least different, after denying it for a few years beforehand (bad couple of years on reflection)and i think RB helped contribute to my realisation.

But this post is really to mark the anniversary of my discovery and intorduction to this warm, loving and unjudgemental community.

It was early days a year ago but as time progressed i got talking with more and more people, specifically G, who i'm sure many of us know.

In about June we started trading emails and just simply for him to listen to me made me happy, on top of that he gave me loads of advice and also just generally talked about interesting topics.
So i do owe G a lot of thanks.
Thanks for everything G!

This was happening while Tristan continued to post chapters on RB so it was quite a happy time for me. This led me on to starting my blog in September and i really do owe it all to Tristan and his fantastic story.

If he never started his story, i would never have found it, and i probably would never have known what a blog was.


It just shows how far the story has progressed and has formed this little community of great people.


The great people i'm talking about is you - whoever is reading this post.

Maybe RB did or didn't help you into this community but i know for sure that many of us are all thankful for it now.

(If you don't know of RB you dont know what you're missing, check it out in my blog roll, immediately!)

But everyone here who comments, sends emails and all other things just makes my day....every day.

In fact, i haven't been on my "straight" facebook or msn for ages.
The friends i am making and have made here are taking precedence over my real friends!
And in some ways, i prefer that.
We all try our best to help each other, be supportive and give advice whereas, even your real friends, can be and quite often are judgemental and sometimes really horrible. I don't receive nearly as much of all the support and kindness from my friends as i do from everyone here.


I take it for granted i think, having blogger, RB and you guys.
But this milestone, if you will, has made me appreciate things more.

Without it, i might still be in denial, i certainly wouldn't have a blog and i definetely wouldn't be out to my cousin.
I think i have come quite some way in since last year and hopefully that will have progressed further by this time next year, and continue to keep doing so afterwards.


So i just wanna thanks to all you guys for being here, and all the kind things you say that make my day.
I dunno where i might be without you.


Love you all,
Rowan