by Ray Jason
It was exactly one year ago today
that I began my Sea Gypsy Philosopher blog.
The response has been very heartwarming.
So, I want to take a few minutes to thank everyone for their interest
and encouragement.
It is astounding to me that my
little word-of-mouth site has been visited over 47,000 times in its first 12
months. And having readers in 107
countries delights me immensely.
The biggest highlight of the year
was receiving an email from the Napalm Girl (Kim Phuc), thanking me for my
anti-war essay that focused on her iconic but tragic photo. It touched me deeply to hear from her -
particularly since of the 25 essays thus far, I think that one is my best
attempt at achieving the “Three Ps” that I strive for. My goal is for each of my meditations to be
Powerful, Provocative and Poetic.
Another very pleasing aspect of this
first year has been how many important websites re-posted my essays. Many of you now reading this, probably
discovered SGP via one of those blogs. Thank
you to all of you webmasters willing to share with your readers my eccentric
way of looking at the world.
On a more personal and casual level,
about six months ago a tourist, who is a regular reader of mine, was introduced
to me. She explained that my blog was
one of her favorites, and that when she recommended it to her friends she
always described me as the “Thoreau of the Sea.” Since he is so high in my pantheon of heroes,
that was a touching tribute.
Establishing a friendship with
Dmitry Orlov was also a high point of this first year. Besides both of us being somewhat oddball
thinkers, we also enjoy the sea gypsy life first-hand, and believe in its critical
worth if things should start unraveling in the future. It was a delight passing time with him and
his wife Natasha and their son Ilya at a secret location South of Many Borders.
When I was conceiving my blog, I
wanted to keep it as pristine and non-commercial as possible. That is why there are no ads and no donation
tab and not even an Amazon link to my first book.
My goal was to function as a sort of
cyber-pamphleteer. My desire was to just
share my little essays with whoever might be intrigued by them. That is why my bio is so brief. I want the work to stand on its own … or
crumble on its own…
However, this does not mean that I wish to discourage
you from sharing my work with others. So
whenever a piece touches you, please send it along to others who might find
merit and insight and comfort in it.
Although my stance is non-commercial, I greatly believe in the power of
the people through word-of-mouth connections.
Thanks again, everyone. I look forward to sharing my uncommon essays
with you in the coming year … and years.
