That’s one thing Reddit doesn’t somehow grasp: They outsourced their brand experience a long time ago when they were late to building an app of their own. To me and many others, reddit definitely is reddit is fun. There’s no putting that genie back in the bottle.

Blueberries fresh off the bush. Tis the season.

Lol it’s seriously crazy how much less active this place felt a couple of weeks ago. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be someone who was here years ago.

This brings up a good question: Do we really want everyone we can get?

On one hand, it’d help flesh out fledgling communities and keep threads and feeds more active.

On the other hand, the more people who come here, the more likely we are to see lower-effort, lower-value, and even counterproductive content and comments.

There’s probably some magic number, an adoption level where communities thrive but are not watered down. I have no idea what that is, though.

Don’t say, “I can’t wait.” It’s OK to be excited for something but not to wish away all the moments between then and now. Each one is precious.

I picked that up a few years ago from a Buddhist book. It helped me with so many aspects of life.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s good to hear there wasn’t a lot going on because, honestly, coming here from Reddit feels a bit like participating in some sort of digital gentrification.

OP could get constipated by doing a bunch of opioids. Obviously not recommended.

You’re right. The fediverse is definitely in a better position to ward off the suck.

By now, we’ve all been around the internet long enough to know that good things never last. That’s really life: Everything’s impermanent. Lemmy will probably suck someday, as will much of the fediverse. But I’m grateful it’s good right now and for the foreseeable future.

I feel you completely. I spend most of my free time with my family, hiking or paddling, or reading books. It’s nice to have places online to burn some time, but I’d sooner give it up than be forced into some corporate playground. The past 15-20 years have shown that it just doesn’t work.

Awesome! This has been puzzling me. Thanks!

It’s a beautiful day to be mindful, present, and grateful. IWNDWYT.

That sounds like an excellent day! Enjoy! IWNDWYT.

I also intensified existing hobbies.

Hiking went from a vacation or quarterly activity to several times per week. (Less now because of fatherhood.)

I returned to music and really doubled down on reading.

I picked up a couple of new hobbies: kayaking and spin bike.

And I started a business that’s been doing well for a few years and became a dad.

None of it would have happened without sobriety.

Damn. You described it so well.

Fridays in autumn, right at the time the setting sun is lighting up the night sky, is such a trigger for me. This time of year, it’s more like Fridays around 3, when the sun is shining and the trees are super green and robust. Idk – there’s something about the time and scenery associated with the pre-drinking routine that’s difficult.

But I’m starting to feel really settled into sobriety. It only took six years of stumbling!

Wrote some songs with my sober friends yesterday afternoon and evening. Then came home and hung out with my wife while our baby slept peacefully upstairs.

That’s a way better Friday than I ever had in the drinking days.

Agreed. Sometimes fiction reflects reality very well, in its own unique way. I used to be a journalist, and I recall some of my colleagues wondering whether they could do more good by moving to fiction and taking on larger issues in that medium.