Where shall I begin?

Well, just over 3 years ago my son got me into online gaming and I met a lot of different people. Some nice, some not so nice. Anyway, I found it really interesting meeting all ages, from youngsters to grandparents. Then it hit me how many people just want a listening ear and someone to show an interest in them. I’m not sure how perfectly I fit into the ‘listening ear’ and ‘showing an interest in people’ category but I try.

Anyway, even after 3 years I am still in touch with some of my original friends. Some are lovely, some are crazy and some are completely nuts but here we are… still laughing, crying and sometimes just chilling and spending time together. Some I have stuck by and given my heart and soul to (not sure why, but there you go, we are who we are ’n’ all that!). Same as in the real world, I guess. BUT, then again, we ARE real people; with the same highs and lows in life, the only difference being that we can hide behind our keyboards on a bad hair day in our pj’s!

So… why am I here?

Well, one day I met someone. Just by chance, and I thought… wow, this person is nice. Then again, being a ‘hopeful, looking for the best in others’ kind of person I kept telling myself to “get a grip, no one is perfect“. But after many, many hours of chatting, listening to music and watching videos together I got to know my new friend. I realised that there was someone, who despite the up’s and down’s in life, had a great sense of humor and was kind and smart.

So, in answer to the question ’Why am I here?’ … I have been inspired. I had talked for years about having my own website but never received the inspiration to make it happen and Dan gave me that push and belief in myself and that anything is possible. Unfortunately, Daniel has moved on to other things but if it wasn't for his belief in me then I would never have started LeanOnUs. Shauna then joined in to help me out and if it wasn't for her I would have likely given up so a big thank you goes to Shauna for her encouragement in the first year. Shauna has now moved on to run her blogs full time so check out her story below.

My hope is that in me sharing my thoughts with you, that it will encourage you not to give up on what you want to achieve. I want you to experience a safe haven here with the opportunity for you to make friends and connections or just enjoy reading the information and experiences from others. We all need someone to lean on from time to time; to listen to us, to give us support and show some compassion and kindness when we are having a tough time of it. Just knowing that someone understands us can make a huge difference to how we feel.

Sonya

Alright, how did I get to be a partner on a website?

Well, back over 3 years ago I was playing a game online and I met Sonya. We hit it off and exchanged yahoo addresses. After that we chatted daily, sometimes for hours on end. I found her to be a very special person and at the time I was newly separated from my now ex-husband. I really needed a friend to talk to that I could fully trust and I found that in Sonya. Anyway, we had this great friendship going and one day she tells me she met Daniel who she characterized as a really nice, caring person. They had a friendship that inspired the beginning of LeanOnUs.

As time went on I saw Sonya struggling and not getting the help she needed but I stayed out of it; offered to help in any way she needed… she really didn’t accept the help and I didn’t push. Then one day she tells me she is ready to ‘throw in the towel’ as they say. She couldn’t do all the work herself and needed help. I told her there is no way she is going to throw away the money spent and the effort made to this point on her dream of this website to help others … So here I am in the fat middle of LeanOnUs.co and loving it.

There has been a ton of work to be done, and obviously long hours, as she lives in the UK and I live in the USA. (8hrs time difference) Talking over yahoo... man, can that be challenging! Honestly, I had no idea how to do anything on a website so we have had some ups and downs and some very confusing times. But we are learning together and that makes our friendship stronger.

LeanOnUs is a dream, developed by Sonya and Daniel, that I fully understand and appreciate. Helping others is kind of what I do, but until now, it was just on a smaller scale. So that’s how I got here; a partner on LeanOnUs.

I have struggled with severe depression and mood issues my entire life and when I was trying to get help I found forums and chat rooms that really helped me and gave me the information I needed. I am hoping that our site can help other's in the same way; paying it forward in a sense!

We are just people who care and want to lend a hand for those daily challenges that we all deal with. Looking forward to meeting you all!

Shauna