I've been a member of Helium.com for so long that I can't remember what I did without it. I refer to Helium as, "it," just because it seems I've never seen a single human being since I joined it. Besides, no one I know, in reality, knows what "it" is, so they ask all the time, "What is it?" That's when I always say, "It gives me something to do all day." Then, that's when those uninformed people always ask, "What is it that you do all day anyway," so I'll say, "I write, read and rate, for heaven's sake."
I try to explain that it simply arrived in my life one rainy day and by a twist of fate, "it," became what I do all day and half the night, rain or shine, every day and night of my life. I don't know why. It's not as if I'll get rich on it, and it's not as if anyone cares to be aware of what I say when I try to find a way to describe it. Even so, I feel so close to the group of writer's who read and rate what I write, in spite of the fact that I'm never seen by all those invisible human beings. It's interesting.
In fact, as I sit here today, typing away by the light of my magnified computer screen, I'm blind as a bat and having a hot flash, but in spite of those facts, I'm the only soul who knows it. Since I'm labeled as disabled, it makes no sense that I should be able to write online all the time, considering the fact that I'm legally blind. Obviously, it would be illegal for me to drive, so I can't go anywhere to do anything else, so I sit at home all alone and go online to write by myself, not in spite of being legally blind, but because I'm blind as a bat and at any given time, having a hot flash. I'd go insane without it, but beyond that, after a twenty five year career in teaching life skills to people with special needs, today my needs are special, to say the least, especially when it comes to what I do online all the time. It's like being lost and alone in the Twilight Zone. It's a place where nothing makes sense, because you see, my disability will always be invisible to you, whomever you may be. That's true at least if you are one of those invisible souls who rate my writing. That's why it's wise to keep in mind that I rate what you write too. It's a huge issue.
Some invisible human being even asked me to be a steward one day. I don't know who they were or what they looked like and they had never even seen me in their life, but they asked me just the same. I suppose they read what I wrote, and considering the fact that I used to teach, always online, and I tend to write a dozen articles per day, I assume these facts gave me some fame. Feeling flattered, I agreed to be one of the many stewards. I was pleased to see that I'd receive a badge to indicate my high, if not mighty status within this invisible but elite community. In fact, I felt as if I'd become the Helium prom queen, or something.
Then again, that's when the problem set in. Since I'm legally blind, it's hard to read so many articles every day, and by the way, that's all a steward does. They read and rate all day. Although it's true that I can magnify my computer to blow up what I try to read, it's still a world of obscurity. It got to where I'd agree to rate everyone sky high all the time, just to be pleasing and popular too. This was true, no matter how bad they wrote, because how would I know how well they wrote? I'm blind! I've never tried to keep it a secret, but ironically, no one fired me. That's why I resigned the other day, and by the way, they've taken my badge away. I've been replaced, and as of today, I have no fame, and there's no one to blame, even though I wrote at least 700 articles long ago.
So, where do they go? Who reads what I write in the first place? Since I'm a legally blind writer who tries to write and read day and night by the light of my magnified computer screen, and since I used to be a teacher who taught people like them how to write and read, it should be obvious that I'm a member with special needs. That's why I'd like to say, " Please give me a break when you rate."
You see, it's been a rude awakening to find that no one wants to read, much less rate what I write, except for a bunch of invisible writers like me who want to be seen, so let's stick together like glue, through thick and thin too. Apparently, we'll need to do this until death do us part. Let's shoot for the stars, but refuse to be threatened or jealous when someone else who might be blind as a bat and having a hot flash gets ranked high in spite of the typo's and punctuation mistakes they make..
This means that you will most likely receive more stars than me for rating, by far. Justice always comes in the end, so when it comes to your opinion, you can do one of two things: Be kind or stick it where the sun don't shine. Just read and rate the way you'd like to be rated too, because you see, you never know just who will be rating you. It could be someone who is too legally blind to read what you write in the fist place, so don't get a big head or let your ego go out of control, just because I rate you high. Other than that, please note the facts. Pay attention to the category with which the title is written within, and then, you won't rate someone low just because you refused to note that it was written within a category based on humor. Otherwise, I'd like to ask some of those invisible souls who rate me low, "Can't you take a joke?"
Besides, I'm invisible too, just like you, so please be patient. The only place I go is online and the only thing I do to find the only souls I ever meet is to write day and night online where, "IT," is where I meet invisible friends who can't see me. Since it's all I do day and night, I've become addicted to it. The truth is that Helium IS it. It's my life! I don't know what I'd do without it, so by the way, that's why I deserve a break.
I try with all my might, through my limited view, to read and rate every day, but do you think I get any extra credit for that fact? No, I don't, but don't I deserve a break for the fact that it takes me twice as long to read as any other invisible human being, even by the light of my magnified computer screen ? No, there will be no extra credit for me, so as of today, I've only achieved two or three rating stars, which means I won't get very far in this community. I'll be disgraced and it could even be that people will accuse me of being a self centered narcissist or a communist. Even so and although I have low to no rating stars, I've received at least five for what I write, even though I'm legally blind. Go figure it out and then get back to me, please. I don't know what that means, and it makes no sense to me that a legally blind writer could rate anything they read, legally. Is that strange to you, or is it just me? Is there something I'm too blind to see, or is "it" a simple case of self pity?
Do you see what I mean? I've paid my dues, and even though it's free, it's cost me a lot of time and energy. I've followed the rules, and I write, read and rate every single day, in spite of the fact that I'm blind as a bat and having a hot flash, which by the way, sometimes makes me insane. You see, even the blind can write as long as they can type, but it's difficult to read when you can't see to rate the big mistakes most, if not all writers make in the first place. Everyone makes mistakes, for heaven's sake.
It's nothing short of amazing grace that I found this place in the first place, so I believe there should be a new badge issued for people like me who write in spite of being blind, and legally, this badge should say, "Exempt from reading and/or rating, with no stars barred."