As of 5pm this evening our Indiegog campaign finally concluded and I have many mixed feelings about it. I have mixed feelings about those who donated and definitely about those who didn't donate but it's over and what's done is done. I think what I really learned from this was to reevaluate who I really extend myself to and just how solid many of my out-of-sight-but-definitely-not-out-of-mind friendships really are.
It was absolutely amazing and totally touching to have many long-time-no-see friends from back in the day, like from elementary school, message me and donate to our Indiegogo campaign. I had people I didn't even know dropping money for us to get a new ring yet others I've gone out of my way for, people who have depended on me, who didn't even so much as buy a Hulk Smash jelly bracelet. It hurt, I'm not going to lie and say it didn't but I'm over it and I'm over them. What doesn't break you makes you stronger so I'd like to think I'm better off without them. Their lack of support didn't stop me, it only opened my eyes.
Most of our members are Korean so the Indiegogo webpage was way too much English for them to fully digest but many did go out of their way to try to make sense of it. I'm super proud to say that some of our members names are going to be printed on the side of the ring and that is so awesome because it shows me that they do love our club and do feel a connection to it and us here. This is our boxing club not just Snickers and mine but all of ours. Snickers and I merely manage it.
What I really took away from this is a bigger longing to see my friends in Canada, to say thank you for all their help and tell them just how awesome it was to know, to see, and to feel that they still have my back after all these years apart from each other and miles that distance us. And what's even cooler is that many of their names will be now plastered on our ringside for us to forever see. I've never missed my friends so much as I did today when the Indiegogo campaign concluded.
I have 41 personal thank you notes to write out, to people who donated via our Indiegogo website or made substantial donations in person, like those who bought a spot on the ring (Indiegogo-based perk). A total of 21 names will be proudly printed on the side of our new boxing ring. That's 21 people's names looking at us while we're putting in out training time, sparring hard and putting forth our effort, time and energy in at the club.
5 Hulkies
5 friends from my childhood
2 former coworkers of mine in Korea
1 Flipside Fitness gal-pal
1 parent of a childhood friend of mine
1 fellow foreign entrepreneur friend of mine here in Korea
1 friend from my university days
1 friend of my family
1 Living on the Flipside fan
1 Flipside Girl YouTube fan
1 family member
1 exboyfriend
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