Who am I?
It's a pretty existential question, right?
This post is an intro post to the Ecency community for the Dreemport-Ecency Challenge that is running for the next three weeks. You can join in here.
1971 was a good year because it was the year that I was born. So yes... some quick mental arithmetic and I am 50 turning 51... no shit Sherlock...where did that time go???!!! I still feel like I'm about 40 ROTFL...
It's funny how our experience of time seems to speed up though. I think it has to do with how much responsibility we try to pack into our relatively short-lived lives. The older we get, the more adulting we have to do - with studies, careers, and families of our own. Before we know it... we are stuck in a routine of working, eating, sleeping, waking... on repeat.
My parents raised our family of 3 kids (me being the eldest) out in the countryside, about 30kms from Durban, the nearest city, and the place of my birth. My sister is 2 years younger than me and my brother is another 4 years younger than her.
I grew up in South Africa. I lived on top of a gorge and spent my days bushwacking with my friends and our dogs, following footpaths that took us into its cavernous persona. We would spend hours sliding down the smooth rocks in the local river that cut its way between the cliffs towards the ocean some 30kms away. We would climb up waterfalls using monkey ropes and sun ourselves on a giant rocky precipice with sheer cliffs that fell hundreds of feet into the valley below.
If we weren't adventuring in the valley, then we were on our bicycles cycling up to the sugar cane farms 5 km away to say hello to the farm workers, cycle off the beaten track, and sometimes come away with a piece of cut cane, gifted to us by a smiling harvester, to chew on, all the way home.
Our backyards became stadiums for world cup tennis tournaments, touch rugby, cricket internationals, and marathon days in the swimming pool under the hot African sun. It was a very blessed, care-free, and privileged childhood.
I grew up listening to John Denver, ABBA, Olivia Newton-John, Engelbert Humperdink, Diana Ross, Leo Sayer, Lionel Ritchie, Billy Joel, and Elvis (all my dad's faves)... and always always Boney M EVERY SINGLE CHRISTMAS MORNING!!! - we knew all the words lol. A lot of the soul of that music from those years has stuck with me through the years, although my musical interests have also diversified somewhat over time.
I also read a lot...
Some of my faves from my younger years include:
I am David
My Side of the Mountain
Bridge to Terabithia
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Hobbit
Green Grass of Wyoming (series)
The Famous Five
I faced the awakening and sad realisation in my teen years, as I grew up, that I lived in a country divided along racial lines, controlled by institutionalised Apartheid. I listened to once banned music recorded by friends of friends onto cassettes (songs like Asimibonanga by Johnny Clegg) and played ad nauseum until the tape stretched and unraveled into the inner workings of my radio cassette deck and had to be rewound back manually by hand using a pencil onto its spool.
I read autobiographies, Shakespeare, poetry, took part in public speaking, debating, wrote short stories and discursive essays and poetry, and belonged to running and karate clubs.
I went on my first trip to the mountains with my school - and still remember sitting outside in the dark under the stars on my coat, way up high, our wooden cabin behind us, staring out across the Drakensberg and the valleys below, thinking... this is just incredible. Such stillness. Such joy. Such peace. Such beauty. I could almost touch God... I fell in love with the mountains and they are still my happy place today.
I studied at University for 5 years, doing both Arts and Law degrees. I majored in English and Law in my undergraduate degree and then studied 22 subjects during my LLB. It was intense.
I worked for the IEC during our country's first national democratic elections in 1994 as an Election monitor - a fascinating insight into politics.
I voted for change.
And as South Africans, we were mostly a united nation under our beloved Madiba, Dr Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, our country's first truly democratically elected president. A true inspiration.
I worked in commercial law for a large vehicle finance bank after University, met my husband at our local English pub in 1996 (I approached him haha), and got married in 1999. I resigned from the bank in 2000 to join my husband in China for 4 months, before we emigrated to the UK.
I have been living in the UK since January 2001. My husband and I adopted our children back in 2013/2014 and they are now 9 and 11 years of age and are the loves of my life.
I have been working for a Telco for the last 21 years - I retrained as a Certified Chartered Accountant (long story - I've probably written about it previously if anyone cares to look). I work reduced hours during the week so that I can do the school runs and spend time with my boys.
I spent a good part of the past decade trying to work out what my passions were... I went back to Martial Arts, I took up photography, bought a guitar, dabbled in writing on occasion.
It took long enough but I eventually knew that what I needed to do...was to write... and found my way during covid, onto a couple of blogging platforms... finally making Hive my home of choice. I am all about social capital before financial and love the engagement opportunities that Hive has to offer. Within a couple of months of arriving on Hive, I fortuitously landed in the best community with the best leader on the blockchain. @dreemsteem and @dreemport have given me more than I could ever have imagined possible within a single year. Dreemport and our dreemers are more than just an online community to me - they are a second family and I love them all dearly, and I am presently an ambassador with Dreemport.
On Hive, I also curate for the relatively new VYB (verify your brain) community.
My primary writing joys include... short stories, poetry, and discursive essays, although I will read just about anything if it is written well or written with heart, passion or humour.
I love writing to prompts in the Ink Well, @mariannewest 's free write prompts, Zapfics in Freewriters, and Word of the Week (soon to be relaunched as Dreem Word of the Week). When I can manage it, I also enjoy @ablaze Three Tune Tuesday (participated once but desperate to do so again!), @tattoodjay 's Wednesday Walk, @dswigle 's Market Friday, and @dibblers.dabs A Tale of Two Pizzas. Occasionally when the mood strikes, you will find me in Blockchain poets.
This past year has taken me on an amazing journey of growth in both my writing and my spiritual life and for that I have immense gratitude to those around me who have helped to guide and shape my life, and to God above and Christ, who have brought me home.
So as if that wasn't enough...how about 3 fun facts about me:
Music is something I use to enhance the emotions I am feeling... my favourite band is Lifehouse, a Christian alt-rock band, although they don't publicly market themselves as a Christian band. Jason Wade, their frontman has one of the best voices I have ever heard. My other go-to artist is John Denver. I could listen to both on repeat all day long. If I am feeling super joyful and just want to dance, I will put ABBA or PINK on and dance around my lounge on my own or grab one of my unsuspecting kiddos. I do love a wide repertoire of music from alt-rock to country, pop to classical, Christian music to instrumentals, and these days listen to a lot of worship too. My last concert... Ed Sheeran at Wembley Stadium a week ago... with my 11 year old - his first concert and what a cracker it was!
Team Damon or Team Stefan? I've met and hugged them both... yum! haha
I took the first photograph of Wayne Rooney when he signed for Manchester United and sold it under non-exclusive rights to 10 different news outlets including Reuters and Sky News. I used the money from that one photograph to pay for my first SLR camera system.
Right... now finally... on to Ecency...
I used to use Proof of Brain for posting on Hive, but many months ago, my good friend, @wrestlingdesires extolled the virtues of Ecency for me and I was hooked. I use it almost exclusively for posting now.
As far as the challenge is concerned... here is my screenshot from earlier today of my ecency points position.
Feel free to engage with me in the comments... I am happy to discuss almost anything.
Cover image by Dimetrios Karamitros on Canva Pro Library
1971 was a great year indeed Sam π
I remember you sharing your pic with Lifehouse but I never knew about the Wayne Rooney picture! How cool is that, you trendsetter Sam you!
I have popped in to see you today Sam as part of this wonderful Dreemport Ecency challenge and to comment as one-half of The Charming Rascals π Enjoy the challenge and have a wonderful Week 1 ~ Let's do this πͺ
Aw thank you Ed! Always lovely to see you on my posts π A very welcome guest indeed hehe. Yeah the Wayne Rooney thing was pure chance... was up in Manchester the day he signed. Took my folks on a stadium tour that I had booked months before... The tour guide took a call on his radio then turned to us and said you guys are the first fans to know... Wayne Rooney just signed for Manchester United haha it was surreal... then he was like... woah and what have we here... and there was Wayne and Sir Alex walking down by the pitch... towards us. I snapped a quick pic... from a distance zoomed in... and called out to him as he passed and he looked up and waved to us. Left the stadium and it was surrounded in camera crews... I asked what they were doing there and this one guy was like... waiting for Wayne Rooney if he's even in there... I said lol yeah he is... I just saw him... he was irritated with me, brushed me off saying yeah right... how did you even get through the front door??? My answer... um I just booked a tour of the stadium haha...simples really! and yeah I know he's in there cos I saw him and I have a pic of him...seriously i was mobbed!!!!! the Sky news lady came to my rescue and would not let me give the pic away for free to the print vultures haha... so she told me to ask Β£100 per non exclusive right and not budge...walk away if I had too...they would bite... 1/2 hour later there was a queue outside the ATM at Old Trafford of media reps drawing Β£100 lots and swearing off SKY under their breath...it was hilarious... I gave her the pic for free and a month later a cheque arrived in the post from SKY News for Β£100... so kind of her. Walked away with a cool grand for being in the right place at the right time. By the time we got home that day... SKY news was running my pic on repeat and it made all the major newspapers. I had my Dad in South Africa tell me that my pic was in a few of the papers back home too ... it was pretty funny. But you know...only The Telegraph actually credited me by name with the photo... all the others just referenced AP (Amateur photographer) haha...
So who is the other half of the charming rascals? Ms. Eli by any chance? or your partner in crim of the last challenge !LOLZ
Wow Wow Wow, I have met a few footballers, unfortunately pre smart phones.
I was in Glasgow and took my niece to her first Rangers football match.
My wife and her and I were staying in a hotel and a few of my friends were there for dinner. They were in the bar drinking and guess who but Gazza and jimmy Fivebellies were there. I was buzzing, there were drinking cocktails and smoking, it was his last game for Rangers, the press was all will he stay wont he. Anyway I asked if he would give my niece an autograph, it was her tenth brithday, he only went and wrote her a poem.
Ever since then I have not heard a bad word against hi,
Rooney picture though, that is something else, AP hehe good for The Telegraph for actually naming you, giving you credit and good for Sky letting you know the score!
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oh and for the last comment it is Ola;)
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You called my name! Didn't you know that I would answer to anything? Wait... you're serving food, right?
It matters not. You are a Lifehouse/John Denver/Abba and Pink fan. I think I luv you. I'll try to be back later.
Fireworks, you know!
Colonial Days.
Damn straight... if you're coming, food there shall be haha! Oooh... do I sense a kindred musical spirit !LOLZ Hope you had an amazing 4th of July, Deniseπ and thank you for dropping by... before yesterday, I hadn't written in 2 weeks... but I am back on it again... a busy time off-chain... all good just crazy busy! But I'll be dropping back into Market Friday soon... now where can I take it next time? One day I will actually get back to an actual market ... !PIZZA !ALIVE !LUV
@dswigle! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (2/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Seems like you've done some pretty amazing things Young Lady, and accomplished quite a bit!
Fascinating how much one does not know about friends lol. But I've always maintained that the CIA, the FBI, and the NSA along with all the tech companies know more about people than their own friends and families know lol!
!LOLZ I had not intended to write so much. Short...succinct, Sam!... that is what we agreed... me and my head. We hadn't counted on heart wanting a say too πππ
Thank you for sharing my post at PYPT today James. I was sitting in the sunshine with some friends chilling whilst our kids played in the swimming pool - another HOT summer's day here in England. Have to make the most of them...
!LUV !ALIVE
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He had skeletons in his closet.
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@jamerussell, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @samsmith1971
Use the !LOL or !LOLZ command to share a joke and an $LOLZ
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@jamerussell! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (4/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
This is am awsome intro post. I'm an Ecencial and really new to Dreemport. I'm loving it. I'm not much of a writer but this challenge has got my creative juices flowing and I dont think I've ever wanted to just write this much in a long time.
It was great to get to meet you and I also should thank you for answering my question the Dreemer discord over the weekend. Engagement off of Hive is just as important as on Hive.
Now lets go rock this challenge and show the others what they are missing.
Aah, thank you, kind sir π And you are very welcome. I have been using Ecency for quite a while - many months in fact, but I used to post using the proof of brain front end. I have been a dreemer for most of my time on Hive. The Dreemport community rocks and dreemers are just the nicest people. The teem at dreemport are also very tight - a real little family who thrives on genuine connection and fun. Lovely to meet you too!!! And yes let's keep rocking the challenge...and now I have a post to write haha !PIZZA
WOW!!!!!!!!! i mean - i feel like i knew you - but now i feel like i know you even more! hahahahaha
this was GREAT and i'm so glad that 5 people tomorrow are going to come here and soak this up!!!! hehehe
i remember so many of these things from our visit - and you know what? i remember where we were when you shared them hahahaha how fun is that????
ok - i dont' have much voting power (trying to make it charge up hahaha) so i've been giving ecency points out instead! hehehe so - building up that wallet for you! hehehehe
love this post my Sam!
I figured you would know most of it already ππ tbh... I didn't plan the post...it just kinda happened... It was supposed to be short!!! π but I reminisced through my writing and before I knew it... sigh... I flowed haha (note to self... ask @penderis to pick up the 2-4-1 special on the filters π€£ )...and...
I love that you remember the where π
We'll get the countdown clock ticking again soon...
!LUV !ALIVE !PIZZA
@dreemsteem! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (3/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
But, you left so much out. You left out how you spend most of your time supporting and nurturing other people, often at the expense of your own progress as a writer. Youβre an extremely special person and you might be 51, but to me, you seem like a 30 year-old, itβs your inner joy, you glow with enthusiasm, energy, optimism, imagination and faith, itβs what makes you so very, very fabulous and youthful πβ€οΈπ€ππππ€β€οΈππ
aw... YOU just made my dayβ£οΈ And I'm 50... hehe ...soon to be 51... but still 50... I'll cling to that for just another month, !LOLZ
Love you too, Stylish! !LUV
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Hi Sam! I loved your presentation and learning more about you. I was born in 1970. A lot of the music you grew up with was also what I used to listen to. My parents loved ABBA, and my sister and I were two Dancin Queens when we played.
Hive has been a great find for me too and beyond the monetary value it has implicitly, what I value most are the incredible connections I have made here with people around the world.
Let's rock this week with another fun challenge π€
Aw thank you Eli β£οΈ Oh wow...almost twinsies !LOLZ ... in age and family music tastes in our youth... hehe... oh my gosh... the same records and cassettes played on repeat in our household growing up... and now I do the same thing!!! hahaha... except some days it's ABBA, some days John Denver, Some Lifehouse.... and then I mix it all up with loads of different artists and genres in between... but some days I am literally in a zone where I am like... it's an ABBA kinda day today hehe... and then I am a Dancin' Queen in my own home... letting loose and soaking it all up. You and your sister must have been super cute together...
And yes...the incredible connections... some days I still cannot quite believe it π
!LUV !ALIVE
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You use a pumpkin patch.
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@coquicoin, I sent you an $LOLZ on behalf of @samsmith1971
Farm LOLZ tokens when you Delegate Hive or Hive Tokens.
(4/4)
@coquicoin! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (1/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Yes sometimes it's hard to believe that there is a site like Hive where we can connect with so many like-minded people in different parts of the world β‘
Today I spent the day listening to ABBA by the way after I read your post yesterday, hehe
Have a lovely evening π€
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What an incredible life :) ... I knew some of this, but learned a lot β₯οΈ Those childhood hikes must make some awesome stories π
!PIZZA !ALIVE !LOL
@samsmith1971! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @wrestlingdesires. (3/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
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It was a weapon of math disruption.
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Release your inner Rock Star with Rising Star! The best #play2earn game on Hive! Play for Free!
(3/4)
I was reliving them as I wrote... so much tied up in those memoriesβ£οΈ !LUV
@samsmith1971(1/5) gave you LUV. H-E tools | my wallet | discord | community | <><
HiveBuzz.me NFT for Peace
Hi @samsmith1971,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
Thank you so much! Always appreciated:-)
Posted using Proof of Brain
This is a whole lot of information about you. Well I already know the part about your husband and kids from your previous posts and I know you love to read but I didn't know you are from South Africa. That's a brand new information.
I've always wondered if the 1971 in your username was the date of your birth or a date for a special event in your life. Thanks for clearing that out.
Hobbit, I think I saw the movie. I love Shakespeare novels. They made us read a lot of it while in high school..my favourite was Macbeth.
Now I feel like I know you a lot more. Thanks for letting us into your world. β₯οΈ
Hey @samsmith1971
You've spent your childhood days and grew up in Goldem era
And you look 40 tbh, the time went so quickly and lucky you lived in a era before social media absolutely nostalgia
Bicycling, meeting farmers or hiking and all that adventures (404 not found now)
Good to know all this about you, your passion, your life & Hive journey. Truly inspired and very nice to meet you, came here through dreemport & You're always so nice & even when you firstly welcomed or guided me in dreemport discord i knew that you're AMAZING & beautiful Soul!.
You made me laugh so hard !!! !LOLZ ... 404 not found now πππ
This is so true... although maybe in the countryside some people still get to live the beauty of this carefree and blessed lifeππ
I often wish I was living just beyond the reaches of civilisation... close enough to draw in when I felt the need but far enough so that I could just enjoy being in my happy place, my mountains, and rolling countryside. Maybe my heart never stopped tugging me in this direction... we will see what the future holds...
You are too kind lol... I enjoy helping people and building relationships, so you are very welcomeπ€
!ALIVE
@idksamad78699! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (4/10)
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Haha, Glad it made you laugh keep smiling
Yea Maybe, I'm living one.
to be honest moved to village for a new life experience far from civilization, in mountain from like 2 years now and so far it was a complete amazing journey and experience. True,let's see what future holds.
Not more than you, more people like you can change the whole world! Thank you & God bless you.
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@penderis finally published... hahaha
You da best! π
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Upvoted π (Mana: 45/55) Liquid rewards.
thank you Denise, that is very kind of you x
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Wow... Nice meeting you, it's so cool that you love music and also a Manchester United fan. Good to hear.
Got here through dreemport.
Oh my! Is this not too much information? And I love it! I feel like I've known everything I need to know to love you more Sam β€οΈ
I'm surprised to know your real age though, you seem like you're in your 30s to me π and yeah, I did know about your kids before now... Really lovely.
Its nice knowing more about you and this challenge is just getting sweeter and sweeter by each day.
@dreemsteem ... And my recommendation for comment of the day goes to.... π€£π€£π€£
Glad you're enjoying the challenge, Merit. I'm having fun! Love you tooβ£οΈ
!PIZZA !ALIVE
@merit.ahama! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (6/10)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Hahaha comment of the day obviously π when you're younger in it, why not! π
Let's the keep the fun on!
Compared to all the things you do and have done I am a sea urchin. I would say it is grand you are out of SA but I guess knife stabbing is not far off from beer bottle stabbing. At least it is upper-class stabbing. Also you are too smart so now I am intimidated and stuff :P !LUV
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I try to stay away from knives if they don't come directly from my own knife block haha... so I think I will be ok. And I tend not to piss people off when I am out and about. Smarts? hmmm... I think Smarts are relative to the subject matter ... so you are far smarter than me when it comes to technical dev work... most of the tech stuff you write about.... I can only dream of understanding that shit! !PIZZA !ALIVE
@penderis! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @samsmith1971. (5/10)
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https://twitter.com/korrek_penderis/status/1544393752642469889
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"1971". I think a book with that title would be no less popular than Orwell's 1984)) After all, such outstanding personalities as you and I were born in this yearπ
It was very interesting and nice to get to know you more, and to find a lot of similarities between us)
I understand - ABBA, Lifehouse, poetry, Shakespeare, autobiographies, mountains, guitar, Madiba, love for children, serving people (even the best spontaneous paparazzi!))...but where does such a kind soul get addicted to martial arts?π