Awww, what a lovely message! And thanks so much for your kind words! 💜 Yes - yay, internet, it is lovely to be connected with you!

You are absolutely right about there not being a correct strategy! And I understand not wanting to receive payment so you don't put pressure on yourself.

My first 'go round' with Medium involved a significant element of that pressure - on top of being here for the love of it - but a friend who had been writing here for several years kept urging me to join. She told me about those 'big players' who were making tons of money and ... well, at that time, there were too many writers and not enough readers and the 'making big bucks' ship had sailed.

I burned myself out here and along with some ongoing health issues that coincided with leaving England and moving back to Canada, it was a good time to step away for a while. Then weeks after arriving in Canada, I had a nasty injury and nearly 16 months later, I'm still not fully healed.

I was away from Medium for more than a year and when I came back last summer, I promised myself it would only be for the love of writing and for the community here, which includes wanting to grow my publication and nurture my "Pub Family." I swore that if I ever opened a Medium tab, it would be because I WANT to, and not because I feel like I SHOULD or I HAVE to. I wanted it to be purely about enjoyment so it would be an "inputting" experience so I wouldn't end up burned out.

That seems to be working pretty well. I'm not rolling in money but that's okay. I'm grateful for what does show up, and in the meantime, as I'm still healing from that injury, I'm resting and focusing on self-care while writing when it suits me, and reading when it feels good.

I promised myself that no part of Medium would be a chore or a requirement, and have stuck to that.

But I know that for many, the temptation to focus on money can be too strong to resist. I wasn't sure how it would go for me, to be honest, as I can be quite driven to do my best and I can work too hard. So I've been using this new attitude toward Medium as an opportunity to do some inner work and have been appreciating the insights and lessons that have come from my "Medium 2.0" experience.

You're so right about recognising where we are and what we need as we move through life. That's the only way to make the best choices to help us take each next step!

And a PS back to you - I wouldn't have seen the bunny as click bait! Maybe some would, but not this kid! Love it! It's adorable! 💜