My Heartfelt Thanks, for These Five Years

I'm not really one for getting overly sentimental about the passage of time, and normally I try to limit my posts here on Patreon to the things you're all really here for, rather than burdening you with personal updates. However, I think it would be a shame to let such an important anniversary pass without note. You see, I first started this Patreon page in September of 2018 - which means this month marks the five year anniversary of this Patreon and of me writing professionally.

I'm kind of staggered by that. Sometimes, I still feel like I only just started, and like I'm a relative newcomer on the scene. But there's no ignoring how long five years is. I'm 27 (at least, for one more week!) and so for me, five years represents a huge chunk of my adult life. I feel immensely proud of those five years - of all the writing and persistence and stories it represents - and immensely grateful to all of those who've ever pledged to my Patreon for allowing me to do this.

When I started doing this five years ago, I felt completely lost in life. Figuring out who I was and starting to transition had basically thrown my life into complete turmoil, and one of the only things I had going for me was that people seemed to like the stories I wrote and posted online when I had the time - sometimes, so much so that people felt moved to approach me about commissions or donations. So I figured: why not make a go of it?

Back then, I thought it was so unlikely that anything would ever come of such an attempt. I couldn't have been more wrong. Doing this has transformed my life beyond all recognition. Writing for an audience has always been a treasured dream of mine, and now it's come true. I can't begin to count all the ways I've developed as a person and a writer by undertaking this project and sticking with it for so long. And, more concretely, I now have an income that's helped me get into a much, much better place in life, and to plan a real and happy future with my loved ones.

Reading back these words, they feel completely inadequate to convey just how transformative all of you, my patrons, have been for my life. I'm not sure I could ever find the words to truly get that across. But it's well worth trying, because expressing that is really the only way I can hope to express just how thankful I am to all of you. For giving me a lot, or a little; for sticking with me through thick and thin; for keeping faith in me, especially, when I was going through difficult times. I'm thankful to anyone who's been here for any length of time, although I do feel I owe a special debt to those of you've been here ever since 2018. I do believe there are still a few of you, as I recognize your names whenever I read over the lists of my patrons that Patreon gives me.

That's a kind of miracle, to me. Thank you.

Thank you to all of you. I sincerely hope that I can keep writing for all of you for many years to come. I'll certainly do my best

<3