Why I am here

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! on the impending doom in your belly, that's fantastic. Hopefully it'll be a little girl or a little boy - those are best.

 Second of all, if you're having trouble renewing that license, call someone to help you. Don't let it lapse, you'd regret that. Reaching out is the hardest step. 

 Finally, don't be intimindated! No one is better than anyone, we're all just on different parts of the same journey. Most of us, myself included, feel inadequate. It's the nature of the beast. It's actually a positive sign, it means you realize there's always room to grow.

I should mention names of the people who have said exactly what yo're saying in terms of this place being intimidating, 00 but instead I'll let them be. But let's just say .. EVERYONE can relate to what you're saying.

The real difference between here and some of the other poetry/writing sites out there is an attempt to sugar-coat less. 

Look at it this way, when someone here says, "Julie, this is fantastic." You will believe it. When someone here says,"Submit this." YOU will. Of course, most of the time you're going to hear, "I think you need to cut this by half, and focus more on the toes of the ballet shoes" or "Why is there a colon at the end of lines 2 and 4? One might be witty, but two just seems extraneous." -- Personally, I'd rather that.

Most of all though, i want you to know this: I'm extremely glad you're here. You are not the 'dimmest star in a bright constellation.' You're very bright, and you make the whole sky better when you're around.

• stephan