Farewell OD in The Day To Day Ramblings

I found out yesterday about Open Diary officially shutting down. As important as that place has been to me for the last ten years, I have to say a large part of my reaction was relief. Relief that the dying, suffering, debilitated, shell-of-its-former-self website will finally be put to rest. I feel about it like I do for some of our patients at work that linger and lay in agony and deteriorate before our eyes before they are finally allowed to pass away.

OD died for me awhile ago, back when the log in errors surpassed the successful attempts at communication. For years I didn't think I'd ever leave there and couldn't fathom writing anywhere else or under any other format but when the mass exodus happened and almost all of us found ourselves over here, I actually was thankful we made the move. PB has been a welcome change - not perfect but oh so much better - and out of all of this, I'm most appreciative that at least we still have a community to share in, where we can continue our stories, offer support and maintain these friendships that have grown from close in the online world to close in the real world. I feel like we're all refugees who found ourselves evicted from our home but who, through sheer will and determination, have created a cozy, safe and happy new place to settle down.

So while I'm sad to see OD officially shut down and I'm heartbroken that I wasn't able to retrieve my diary (despite multiple attempts, always cancelled due to timeout error after timeout error for months on end), I am happy to be here, with you guys, still talking and whining and gossiping and venting and confiding and supporting and being our truest selves.

Here's to 2014 - letting OD go and embracing all that PB has to offer. :)