Hola Hivers and weekend people. I hope this year will be full of joy and prosperity for everyone in the Hive.
And the weekend comes with a new great topic in the engagement initiative. And although I had thought not to write on this occasion to spend more time with my family, I could not resist the idea of participating this time as well. My choice is a mix of options 3 and 4.

Something I learned in 2021
2021 may not have been a great year in many ways, the pandemic took away some loved ones. But it was a good year for me in terms of personal discovery. Perhaps one of the best in a long time in that regard.
I have always been a very introverted and private person. My close circle is relatively small. In recent years, for various reasons, the situation of the country and the diaspora, disappointments of people you thought were one way and turned out not to be; that circle had been closing more and more.
And to tell you the truth, I wasn't too worried about that. But now, looking back, I can say that I had been slowly losing a part of myself because even though my little circle is something valuable to me and always will be. I had become accustomed to living like a snail inside its shell, and life has so much more to offer outside that shell. Some people have so much value and bring out the best in us even if they are not with us. The circle can be more extensive, and that far from exposing us makes us stronger.
I found a piece of myself
In the last few years, my enthusiasm for the crypto-verse has been growing, and that is why I came to a microblogging platform early last year. Being an introvert, I am not a big fan of social networks, but I decided to try it. And after being away from blogging for almost 15 years, I started writing again.
A few weeks later, I started writing in a sister platform of the first one, where the publications were longer, and my blogging mojo came back. But this time, I felt the urge to get out of my comfort zone, open myself in writing, and show the person I am and that very few could say they know. I have shared joys, experiences, fears, and anguish. Getting out of my comfort zone has made me find a piece of myself that I had been leaving on the road of life. A piece that I'm grateful I found.

I am grateful that my small circle is no longer too small.
Thanks to all that experience, I came to Hive, and although I have only a few months in the hive, there are some Hivers that I met in the other platform who are in my heart and who are small pieces of the puzzle of that part of me that I found again.
In the last few months, I have met some people, even if it's virtual, who made me realize that good people are more, and I have regained my faith in humanity and I am grateful for that. I have met a few that I call my friends despite the distance and the hundreds of thousands of kilometers that separate us. That is another great lesson of 2021; some people can be thousands of miles away and who we have never seen but with whom we can connect as if we have known them forever. So this year, my circle starts being more extensive, and the people that are part of my affections are more.
There is @ifarmgirl; Cj is my soul sister who since the first time we read each other, we connected. When I read her posts, I feel like I'm sharing a coffee with a lifelong friend. And my wish is also that we can be sisters for life.
"You just have to be a friend to find the friend that you are looking for".There is @eylz619; Eylz has shown me that there are still people in the world capable of having a big heart full of kindness and that true friendship can be found if we put our minds to it no matter how far we are. She wisely wrote
There is @rebeysa85; Rebeca has made me realize that not everything in my country is lost, that there are still people who have not lost their values in the process that we have lived in the last years. And that fills me with hope. And although she is far away, the distance is not so great, and maybe this will be the year in which we will enjoy a cup of coffee together.
"No matter how mundane you think life is, there is magic all around you". The chance I end up smiling at the end of one of his posts is always huge.And there is @tengolotodo; Ed has taught me that you have to keep believing in magic no matter how old you are. I remember a phrase he wrote in one of those articles where he let the imagination fly, and that stayed with me,
I'm grateful that you all are part of my life, even though you are hundreds of thousands of miles away. And I hope to have you in my circle for the rest of my life.
I have made other friends but are not yet in the hive or are not active here. And in the few months, I have been in Hive, I have met some people who, despite the short time we have been interacting, are likely to become small pieces of that part of me that I found and that I am not willing to lose again.
Last but not least, thank you, @galenkp, for your community. In those first weeks when I was pretty lost in Hive, The Weekend was one of the spaces where I thought there would be a place for me, and I wasn't wrong. Since then, I have written here several times. I have joined in many Weekend Engagement, even in a couple of them with the previous format where you asked us to comment in a post. I wish you a great year in 2022, and I hope you continue to challenge us with your weekend topics and that The Weekend continues to be a reference community in Hive.
If you made it this far, thank you very much for reading.
January 2, 2022
Aww Eli!! Thank you for such beautiful words!
Me? I'm lost for words, I don't know what to say, you have become an important part of my daily life, I appreciate your candor and the way you go about things. I've learned so much from you and I feel like I know you although we haven't met yet hahaha. We will though, this year is the year, I feel it.
I feel it too! This year is the year we will meet in person 😘
I am happy for your circles, I hope it grows more as time goes by all you mentioned I've known them.. except the second hehe.
Thank you :) My best wishes to you and your lovely daughter this year! 😊
Love you Eli 💙
You are a star and I love how we chat away wherever we are.
You are so bossy jaja I am joking, yes I am honoured to be part of your circle and you will always be in me.
I love you too, Ed 💙
And you have no idea how bossy I can be, jaja 😉
This is so sweet of you, sis! Thank you for having me in your circle. It feels amazing being in it :)
I adore you friend 😘
thanks my amiga!!!! love you always! and thanks for being not just a friend but a sister too :)
Te quiero amiga! And I haven't forgotten about the Tres Leches recipe, I have it for you. I just need to translate it and will send it to you tomorrow 😘
weeeee!!! gracias amiga!!! it's ok you can take your time.. i can wait :)
I love all of the gratitude that you express in this post. I am happy that your little circle of friends has grown, as well. Such is the beauty of Life!
Good lunch with your blogging!!
Happy New Year! Best wishes for Happiness, Health, and Prosperity in 2022!
Cheers!
Thank you! Happy New Year and best wishes to you too!