Dear NS: A (brief) 10k reflection

Dear NS,

After 8.5 years, I've finally reached 10,000 posts. I guess that's some sort of achievement? Maybe not anymore, given the unbelievable post counts of some members these days (here's looking at you Evan, Jamie, etc.). People used to make threads about this sort of thing so dammit I will too.

Over the years, NS and the community here has taught me so much. I've made 'internet friends', something that I've struggled to explain to my parents (especially when talking about meeting them in person). My viewpoints on all things, ranging from ski industry stuff like the WME/L1 debacle to completely unrelated things like humor, women, and politics have been shaped by thoughtful posts written by well-spoken members. I learned to crochet. I learned to make movies. I got to practice expressing myself. I learned to be thoughtful of opposing arguments and not dismiss them based only on my preexisting beliefs. NS has been an amazing outlet for me in a lot of different ways. I can't thank this community enough for that.

There have been a few constants in the past 8 years of my life, and it's almost strange to say that NS has been one of them. Looking forward, I'm not sure what kind of role NS will play for me as my commitments grow and I get even farther away from the median member age. I know, however, some things will never change. I'll never stop skiing. We're all skiers here, and that almost always comes before all else. I'll always rep NS; I'm proud to have that sticker on my car, and plan to put one on every car I own. I'll always enjoy the friendships that have grown from my time here. Some people I've had the pleasure to meet in person, others have been only cyber acquaintances, and many don't really log in here anymore, but I've enjoyed it all the same.

TLDR: Thanks NS for a great number of years. Thanks for the laffs and reddit reposts. Thanks for the procrastination. Thanks for helping shape the person I am today.

- Milos