I don't think anyone's saying "You poor thing" - I doubt that very much. Nor did I, or do I , think I'm just putting on a show. Those who think that, and don't get anything of value for themselves from the show they see it as, are not obliged to watch. This seems axiomatic to me and I'm kind of surprised the question is raised at all. Those who have had success, or are having it, are free to say so - that also seems axiomatic and indeed I'd welcome it, as some might welcome my saying I'm not.

As for those who don't welcome it there's clearly an art to forums whereby you more or less quickly learn the posters whose posts you think are going to be beneficial to you to read or on your own wavelength or whatever you are hoping to get out of or experience from reading posts, and those who you don't like, or feel are self-pitying, or whatever it is that repels you. At that point, we streamline our "clicking" to exclude the latter posters. If someone feels I'm just putting on a self-pitying show and imparting nothing of value or, indeed, imparting noxiousness, as I feel about many posts I feel do harm here, then he/she will take care not to read my posts - it's an individual choice. Certainly, no-one's watching me, going "You poor thing", and if someone were to do that, that would not be the bad thing you limn it, either for that person or for me. Or if that individual thought it was bad for him/her, s/he'd give himself a break and walk out. We all rather have to do that here, and on other forum-sites of all sorts.

In any event, I had no intention of or awareness of being self-pitying or garnering "You poor thing" - just 'blogging my own truth and had thought this was the site for doing so. Perhaps that assessment is mistaken - it remains a little while to be seen, perhaps not long. The great incentive to this kind of 'blogging is actually less to boo-hoo and hold forth and shove oneself on others in artificial "friendship", as one pays professionals "to be one's friends" artificially - the primary incentive really is to help other people out there - encourage, advise, inform (or present "information" - not necessarily the same thing!), hearten, prepare, demonstrate, model, make mistakes for them, blaze trails, at best inspire. However self-indulgent, self-therapeutic, or just plain whiney 'blogs may seem, and they do serve many functions for the 'blogger!, I believe the underlying impetus is to help others - so if it turns out in time that I don't do that for anyone, then I was wrong to think it would be an aid to 'blog. However, the world wide web is a funny thing, and two years from now someone may draw solace or guidance or comradeship - not something that can be known now! And one person is surely enough.