Usually around this time of year, I take a moment to look back and reminisce on everything that’s happened in the Portland startup community over the past 365 days. But this year, I’m just not really feeling it. We’ve all been through a lot. We’ve all felt like we’ve lost months. Or years. And we still don’t seem to be any closer to any semblance of normalcy.
But despite all of that, Portland and Oregon folks keep starting things. They keep building things. They keep at it. And they persevere. Sometimes in dramatic and exceptional ways. But sometimes, they just survive. And in times like these, sometimes simply surviving is more than enough.
And as long as folks keep starting stuff. And trying new things. I’ll keep writing about it. Like I have for the past 14 years.
Not that many people will read it. But I’ll still definitely write it.
Because I know that that person doing that thing might read it. And in some small way, it might help. At the very least, they may feel seen. Or they may find new motivation. Or they may just feel like it’s worth working on that product or company or event a few hours longer. Or, they may never read it. But a friend or loved one may mention it. And that’s got value to it, too.
In many ways, 2007 seems relatively close. In other ways, it feels ridiculously far away. Like more than 4000 posts away. Which averages out to around one post for every weekday since I started this whole thing. Not bad for a personal blog. (Do we even call them that anymore…?)
Fourteen years adds up to a lot of words. A lot of mutilated headlines. And a lot of typos.
But maybe. Just maybe. It’s also provided a bit of hope. And inspiration. And satisfaction.
Happy Birthday, Silicon Florist. Now get to work on the newsletter.
Previous Silicon Florist birthday posts
Birthdays make you nostalgic? Me too! So if you feel like wallowing in that nostalgia with me, please have at it. Here are a bunch of old birthday posts from yesteryear.
- Silicon Florist is two today. What a short strange trip it’s been.
- Time for big kid pants: Silicon Florist is three years old
- Four years and seven hours ago… Silicon Florist is four
- Half a decade later: Thank you for putting up with bad grammar, ridiculously long headlines, haphazard posting schedules, and an all too rosy view of the Portland startup scene
- Six years of Silicon Florist (or How a poorly written blog with ridiculously long headlines somehow spawns awesome things like PIE, TechFestNW, and Oregon Story Board)
- Golden birthday: It’s August 7 and Silicon Florist turned seven years old today
- Silicon Florist is eight. And eight is great. Or something. And stuff.
- Nine years of nonsense: Silicon Florist completes another year of assaulting the English language
- The more things change, the more they stay the same: 10 years of Silicon Florist babbling about the Portland startup community
- It goes to 11: Silicon Florist is officially a tween (Fair warning: This one is really really dark. But you can skim past that if you want some interesting historical context. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ )
- A dozen long stemmed Rose City years: Silicon Florist is 12 years old
- Officially a teenager: Silicon Florist turns 13 years old
