Saturday, September 6, 2008

Clay or Friends?

I love Clay Aiken! No question, no doubt I love Clay Aiken.

I often wonder, though, after all this time if I get more excited about seeing Clay or about seeing my friends? Like so many in this fandom, the friends I refer to are the ones I have made in the fandom. These are women I did not know before AI2. These are women I would never have met if not for Clay Aiken. We live in different states, we have different lifestyles, we have different interests. What we had in common is Clay. In the years since we randomly met at concerts and on message boards though, we have discovered that we have much more than Clay in common. We have built true and real friendships. We talk about and care about one another's families. We know their names and what they are doing. We celebrate our ups and we sympathize with our downs. I have friends who I can't imagine living without. Often, they are the first and last people I talk to every day. It's amazing how many of our conversations are not about Clay anymore. They are about us.

I love Clay Aiken. I love his voice. I love the personality he has shown us. I love the selfless life of service he has chosen. I love how available to his fans he has been doing the book signing, CD signings, the meet and greets, the bus lines and the stage door. I love seeing him both live and in pictures and video and sensing his happiness. I will never know Clay Aiken on a personal level, but I can enjoy what he chooses to share with his fans. I do, however, know the friends I have made on a personal level. For this I am grateful and so very fortunate! I used to refer to them in RL as "my Clay friends". Now they are part of my RL and they are simply "friends".

Thanks, Clay, for all you do, but especially for letting me know these friends,

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

WONDERFULL!!!

Yes Clay Aiken did bring us together, but we kept us together!!

Cheers to my friends!

QBBabe said...

That's the easy part!

SueReu said...

I have met the most amazing people by becoming a Clay Aiken fan :)

Great blog!!

marhaven said...

I think this is what those who don't understand our "intensity" don't get. There IS something about this man that brings people together.

Oh Crap said...

Viva Clay Aiken. He is so charismatic, magnetic and downright smoldering with the IT Factor. He makes our hearts burst and the drive to share with others smitten by his qualities and talent is not only intense but a pleasure. Clay exemplifies what community is all about. Love him and love the friends I've made because of him.

It's all Clay Aiken's fault.

jbc4clay said...

Over the internet, I have met friends that I have never met. I would love to meet them face to face. Shoot, I would love to meet Clay - face to face...... ;0)

Yep, I blame it on Clay. I would not have it any other way.

Anonymous said...

What a lovely blog. Yes, Clay Aiken has brought joy into my life, and one of the many ways is the dear friends I've made through my fandom. Travelling to concerts and Spamalot with my fellow Claymates is such FUN!

Deona said...

Great blog! And yes, being a Clay fan has connected me with some great people.

Ashes said...

Wonderful blog! I just found it as your site visited my sit :) Thank you for adding me to your blogroll.

Loving Clay has opened up a whole new world, of joy, fun and friends around the world! I want to see Clay in concert soooo bad, and I want to meet my new friends too.

katy said...

What I liked best? "I love Clay Aiken." That just made my day.

Anonymous said...

Hey shy, we don't see each other except at Clay Aiken concerts, but I always look forward to seeing you and gr8 and Q and some of the others that we met way back in 2003. Clay friends share a love that is really hard to explain. Let's face it, the man is really hard to explain, but there is just something about him that fascinates me.

outback

Anonymous said...

aww outback, we so love seeing you and whatnot, we do miss you guys!!
love you, shy

Anonymous said...

Thanks to Clay Aiken my world expanded greatly these last five years. Travel, friendships, good times!

~Shycon

Anonymous said...

Tons of friends have come my way thanks to Clay Aiken. He is the glue that holds us together.

kilo said...

I really enjoyed your Clay Aiken blog.

Anonymous said...

I hate it when my internet is down. All of my best friends live on it!

Chitter said...

I have met some amazing friends through falling for a guy on tv on that reality tv show some 5 years ago. Trusted good friends - that I cherish like family.

stargazer said...

Lots of friends here. Outback, Shy, Q, Whatnot and many more. all for the love of Clay.

I have many friends, I have a best friend, but my Clay friends are in a different stratosphere altogether. We are bonded by fire. The fire of what we've been through supporting Clay and the fiery intensity that is Clay Love. God I love that man.

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