I'm barely able to comprehend, let alone express, just how wonderful you people are. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer number of supportive PMs, emails, and phone calls. And then you have the testimonials posted here. I was left speechless (isn't that a change, eh?). Even though it must seem obvious to everyone else, I still feel a bit like Sally Field, when she said in her Oscar acceptance speech: " And I can't deny the fact that you like me... right now... you like me. Thank you." Maybe it's a little bit because I'm so busy being The Hoov that I don't notice peoples' reactions, routinely, but I will do my best to live up to your impressions of me.
Ordinarily, I try to answer every PM I receive, but I'm not going to do that. There are simply too many. I want each and every person who sent me a supportive message during this difficult time to know that your support is a very powerful medicine. And I want JJ and Wes to know that I'm especially touched by your efforts to carry support to me.
I also want to mention a few things that will help with understanding how things are for me. When I came to this board in July '08, I didn't recognize its potential. I knew nothing about junior explorers, or any of the related topics. And I didn't know a soul. I'd started investing in some of these plays, but I realized that there were people who obviously understood more about what was really going on than simply reading news releases could possibly provide. I lurked here for a while, but then I decided to become a member so that I could join in the discussions. I made a lot of newbie mistakes, but people graciously offered me information, and sources of information, and advice, and so on. In my mind, all I'm doing is paying forward what was already paid forward to me. But there's another aspect to the story. When I came here, I could barely function beyond the simplest level of function. The generosity of spirit here lifted me up.
I think that coming here, and being accepted here, has in some ways enhanced the rate of what will surely be a lengthy recovery process. I'm by no stretch of the imagination well, but I'm improving over how it used to be for me. But it's not a straight line upwards, no matter how obvious that increase may be over time. It's a wobbly line. This isn't the first time I've withdrawn from the boards here. It's probably in the dozens of times now, in fact. For a good long while, I just didn't post for some interval of time, but nobody seemed to notice. But after a while, people did seem to notice my absences. So, I started to drop hints, to give a little advance notice that I'd be taking a break, but people often misunderstood the situation entirely. I found myself telling more and more people something about my medical challenges, because specific relationships became meaningful enough to me that a fuller explanation seemed appropriate. E.g. It isn't that I don't want to meet you for dinner the next time I'm in Toronto, I can't manage it. Or whatever. It's not personal, it's me. Ya know?
So, this is a wobble down. Nothing new about it for me. But my relationship with you, all of you, is affected by that wobble. That relationship is important to me, and this is an important time. The Hoov is fine, relatively speaking, but his body is not so fine right now. I must rest. I can't predict how these things go. I've got some important medical appointments next week, and those would have pretty much taken me out, in any case. I'll be around, and we'll see how it goes.
I'm deeply touched by all the support I've received. And it will certainly help me find my strength again. Thank you, all of you. And I'll talk to ya later.
Kind regards,
Lar
