Hummingbird One Year Anniversary. Cultivating Ideas and Confidence

Oct 16

Oct 16 Hummingbird One Year Anniversary. Cultivating Ideas and Confidence

Life Ramblings, Angela Rieck, About thehummingbirdpost

A One-Year Look-Back by a Founding Contributor.

Congratulations to thehummingbirdpost on its first-year anniversary. As a contributor, I was asked to comment. It is hard.

Becoming a writer means revealing myself, my limitations, my abilities, my experience and, of course, my craziness. I think that this nakedness is a major contributing factor to the artist’s temperament, as we expose ourselves only to be hacked by people who do not have the courage to do the same. Of course, I write hoping to receive praise, while recognizing that criticism is its shadowy complement.

Hummingbird provides a forum where I can express my opinions, my experience and test my writings on a supportive audience. One of the few on the Internet that is without trolls, judgements or cruelty. It confirms my basic belief in the world, that at our core we are kind, generous and helpful.

The Hummingbird forum also allows me to expand, I am an avid student of other contributors’ experiences, and am equally inspired by recommendations for books and recipes (the latter are mostly aspirational). It is a warm, generous, intelligent, thoughtful, and gentle place for us to learn and share.

Thank you, Hummingbird.

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Angela Rieck

I WAS an executive of a large insurance company, a Ph.D. in Mathematical Psychology (go Terps!), a mother, a wife, a community leader, a volunteer, an animal rescuer, a friend and a philosopher. I used to be funny, smart, with a keen eye for the absurdities of life. But now I feel defined by what I have lost, my career, my husband (who died from cancer August 2015), my 35+ year life in Morristown, NJ, possessions (stolen), volunteer work, two of my beloved dogs, my parents, friends, but most of all, my purpose. What remains is an amazing 25 year old daughter and the daunting task of creating a new life. I am fortunate enough to spend time in Key West, FL and St. Michaels MD. While trying to understand these 2½ years of loss, I started to chronicle my feelings, thoughts and philosophies. I wrote to communicate, to understand, to reflect, to find a direction. People who read my posts said, “you are a writer,” so I am grasping onto this skill to find where it takes me. I am grateful for what remains, my daughter, my family, my friends, my husband’s family…and I will keep my promise to my husband to build on what is left. Thank you for allowing me to share this journey with you.