Part of the fun of writing a site like this is the rapport with people who comment.

If someone comments more than a couple of times, their comments cease to be mere words, and become a connection.  I follow back to their site and read about their lives and a connection is made.  They have learned a little about me and I have learned a little about them.

There connections are strange things.  I could walk past the vast majority of the people who comment here and I wouldn’t know them from Adam.  Just because I don’t know your name, what you look like or what you sound like, doesn’t matter, as we have connected in that strange other place called the blogosphere.

Less than two months ago, Belfast Taxi Driver dropped by and left a comment.  I followed the link back to his site and started to read it, and it became one of my regular stop-offs. He commented a couple more times, and that weird thing – the connection – was established.  I became interested in his writing and he obviously read my efforts as he commented a few more times.

Recently he twisted his ankle and on Friday was bemoaning the fact that he was no longer able to work until the ankle mended itself.  He wrote about not being too happy at being a ‘kept man’. 

Yesterday, I dropped by his site to see how the ankle was coming along and what I saw was akin to a sledgehammer between the eyes.

Obviously I have never met Belfast Taxi Driver.  I don’t know a thing about him other than he drove a taxi in Belfast, but that doesn’t matter.  The connection is still there.  When I read that post, I felt the pain.

BTD – wherever you are – I know you are at peace.

And Mrs BTD – my thoughts are with you.