The last time I was in Amsterdam visiting Dishwasher Pete and Amy Joy they showed me photographs of a trip with someone who looked very familiar. I said Um, so…. how do you know Sallyann?
When I left my government career I swore an oath that I would never again work just for money, but only for love of the work itself. Of course, that meant I had a lot of spare time, most of which I filled by creating esoteric little web sites that you have never heard of.
Ten years ago I was a subscriber to a zine out of California. When the company running the website realized they were not going to make a profit off the venture they pulled out and I took over as publisher.
From the very first day the project was collaborative in nature, with volunteers from all over the nation (and later world) pitching in whatever skills they could spare. One of the very first people to step up was an architect from Pittsburgh called Sallyann.
If memory serves, she designed the very first iteration of the site that gradually grew into the behemoth that is now known as Hipmama.com. Kim – another Pittsburgh resident – was one of the first moderators. Lli was a personal friend based in Portland, and she was involved in all manner of strategic planning for the project, and five or six years ago she also moved to Pittsburgh.
When I say that someone volunteered to help with HM, this means that they offered something really rare and precious, because for all the wonderful things the site has meant or accomplished, the experience of working behind the scenes has always been, at the very least, challenging. For some of us it has been quite brutal.
The volunteers all worked without monetary compensation, often in difficult circumstances, to build and nurture a community – frequently without thanks or proper acknowledgment from the people they served. Because, of course, that was never the point.
I feel such a high level of admiration for the volunteers I can never really express my gratitude; they are, simply, the best people I have ever had the privilege to work with. Lli has been in touch throughout the entire decade, and we see each other whenever possible – sometimes in Portland but also in NYC and London, wherever we happen to turn up.
I haven’t heard from the other two in awhile but when I wrote to say that Byron moved to their fair city all three demonstrated the grace and charm that characterized our earliest friendships, offering to take him out and show him around and help him get to know the city.
I tend to fling myself at new experiences without any expectation of what the future might hold. When I stop to trace the way that this life has introduced me to so many amazing people I am astonished at my great fortune, marked not by material wealth but rather by friendship. It could have been very different.
I am, as always, so honored to have these friends.