46 thoughts on “Another August 23rd”

1. Congrats on this milestone

2. This website has changed my life and the lives of many others. As another 43 year old I hope you keep doing exactly what you have been. We appreciate it.

3. You’ve done good. Be proud.

4. Congratulations on the anniversary- mixed feelings and all, it’s still an important event and worth marking.

5. I appear to nearing a milestone age in a few weeks, and nearly didn’t have two kids; my husband is the one who keeps me saner, and understands me better than I do myself sometimes, and I nearly lost him twice, so, yeah, there’s always that nagging feeling in the back of my head when they are all off doing their things…

   I’m glad I have them all, given this year has been a pretty mixed bag for me too.

   Just keep gaming, just keep gaming…. 😉

6. Wil,

   Tom Murphy here. Irish ex-poker-reporter from back in the day.

   Wanted to tell you that you have helped me deal with my depression indeed grown to advocate publically for people to talk honestly and openly about mental health.

   I also rescued a dog (a beagle who is Seamus’ long lost Irish brother it seems!). Best thing ive done!

   Gotten very fond of craft beer (though im scared to take the plunge to brewing my own! I like it too much).

   So yeah, crazy world. Have even reconnected with Dr Pauly over twitter.

   Be happy and realise that many of your ripples have positively affected others. YOU are some other person’s “good people”.

   Wish i could tell you the whole story over a beer but yeah.. be well mate.

   Tom.

   1. Holy crap, Tom Murphy!

      Good to hear from you, and thanks for your kind words. May you always tilt Otis.

7. “I’m a complicated mix of emotions and thoughts today, and I can’t find the right words to express them.”

   That’s OK, man. Most times it’s enough just to feel them.

8. It takes quite a bit start over again. Be proud of yourself. You’ve done a great job in this second half!

9. Bittersweet. Wishing you hugs from loved ones today.

10. The Intertubes are a better place for your presence!

11. Just because you have more to do doesn’t mean you don’t deserve to take a victory lap to celebrate how far you’ve come. You are an inspiration to many, myself included. Take that lap. Hell, take the rocky run and pump those fists at the top of the stairs while you’re at it.

12. The no beard in the old 2001 pic is freaking me out, man.

    1. Exactly my thoughts. I clicked on the link and looked at the photo and was thinking, who the hell is that. The next thought was Wow, Wil without a beard.

13. Congrats on the Blogiversary. August 23rd has always been one of those “moments in time” days for me. I seem to observe its coming and going each year with some unknown significance.

14. Nice going Wil. I’m a big fan of a bunch of things you have going on right now. I’ve been spending a large portion of my time lately watching Tabletop, Titansgrave, and Critical Role. It’s just getting really hard to defend you with all of the social justice warrior stuff you’ve been involved with lately. Give it a rest man.

15. It’s my birthday too today! Happy blogiversary!
    And while I (of course) never knew Phoenix, I grew up knowing we shared the same birthdate. Oddly it made a little connection in my mind and when I heard of his death it stuck even more in my mind knowing we shared the same birthdate.

16. You’re a good man, Wil Wheaton. I’ve read and enjoyed this blog and your books for years. Your openness about your own struggles encouraged me to stop trying to power through my depression on my own and seek help. Thank you for that and thank you for TableTop (which has also changed my life!). You have done amazing work, you are doing amazing work, and you will continue to do amazing work. Congratulations on your anniversary, and best wishes, always.

17. And my wife and I celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary today. Happy to share the date with this blog!

18. August 23rd is also my birthday. Every year I suffer from horrendous depression due to loneliness. And every year I see your blog birthday post and I’m reminded that it does get better. Thank you for sharing your journey with us and reminding me to keep my chin up every year when I most need it.

19. River was still a significant part of your life, you don’t have to think
    about a person daily for this to be so. They are inside.
    Stand by Me is a very significant part of my life, you, River, Corey and
    Jerry.

20. It’s been a pleasure to listen to your speak about your experiences through the years, the journey you have taken to get to this point. While your path is unique, it also serves as a lesson to any person who seeks to find out who they really are, and also to teach that there is always room for growth.

    Thank you for sharing this with us.

21. Happy anniversary to your wonderful blog, and River, we miss you.

22. Your blog, like yourself, has probably farther reaching effects than you realize. The things you have said and one have changed the lives of countless people for the better around you, and I hope that both continue to live on in healthy and successful… and ugly hand-coded glory!

    At least we were able to show you that there is an ancient and out of date public key buried on this site.

    Thanks Wil, for everything.
    -Ant

23. … “and done”. wtb edit button.

24. Wow, somehow this post made me realize that earlier this month I neglected to notice the anniversary of my mother-in-law’s death (cancer sucks). I am both sad and happy about forgetting.

25. This day I celebrate because 50 years ago I started riding this blue marble through the universe. Fun to share something important with you.

26. I’m somehow delighted by being rick-rolled while browsing through your old site. Happy birthday WWDN!!

27. Congrats on fourteen years, Wil. Good job, definitely worth celebrating! I can relate to the introspective mood, though, because I get the same way every year when I thank God for another year of continuous sobriety.

    You reminded me of one of my old cohorts from high school that died when I was in college under similar circumstances (drunk driving) to River. (Yes, I’m well aware that isn’t exactly what happened to River. Stick around for my point.) In another twist of fate, it might’ve been me, but I made different choices in life. We never partied together, but he was one of the “cool” kids I envied because he partied a LOT.

    I always wonder about the what ifs, and sometimes wish I could run into him on the street and spend some time catching up. How many kids would he have now? Would he have sobered up like I did? How would he feel about the fact that I’ve BEEN sober for a lot of years now? What would he have thought of my ex-husband, who held me while I cried over his death? Those are just a few of the “what ifs” that come to mind whenever I think of those my high school graduating class has lost since we were given our diplomas back in 1996.

    My point is, everything we’ve chosen in life has made us into the people we are today. Sure, others made choices that turned out to be fatal, but we did not–often BECAUSE of those who have died. Today we are grateful for the time they were a part of our lives, and hope they went on to a better place where we’ll see them again someday.

    Thank you for the memories, and for the gratitude check. I haven’t achieved many of the goals I set years ago–I used to take bets that I’d never make it to forty, and I’ll be FIFTY in three short years! Every day that I wake up on this side of the dirt is another chance to make more choices in my life. If we keep those choices positive, we’ll probably get another chance tomorrow!

28. Happy anniversary to you and the site. Life is bittersweet and the things we accomplish are often not immediately recognizable. But the seeds we plant with even the smallest action can grow into something mighty. Thank you for sharing your journey and don’t lose sight of the trees because of the forest.

29. Nice. I share a birthdate with your site! 🙂 I’m glad you are where you are, even if it took a rough, uphill road to get there. Keep up the good work!

30. I am so glad you decided to take that chance and start your blog all those years ago. This is a place that feels like home to me. I’ve been reading your blog since late 2004, and I haven’t missed a year since. You’re a great person, Wil, and you make all of your fans feel like friends. Can’t say that about most people. I wish you many more blogging years. Best to you always in everything you do.

31. I’ve only been following you for a few years now, but your work on Tabletop gave my son and I a fun-filled Friday Game Night with games that helped teach him to read (Castle Panic, among others) and just have some close father/son nights.

    The very first article I read was on the original site, when you talked about your son using your “DM dice.” I laughed so hard I cried, because I’m the same way.

    May you have many more years of success.

    And to paraphrase an old Vulcan adage: Live long and keep gaming!

32. Life is a road where we never know when the journey will end, and sometimes when we think we have it all mapped out a tire blows or we run out of gas and are stranded for a while in a strange place. In each of us lies a talent. Sometimes we are a huge surprise and find ourselves on the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy every turn in the road. Enjoy the straight-a-ways. Enjoy the stops along the way. They don’t even have to be clamorous or colourful, or unusual. It could be as exciting as a trip around the world or as simple as a Sunday Drive in the country to get an ice cream cone. What matters is that you share it with loved ones, and that you are happy to bbe there. Whoever we are.

33. Back then I was just naively/fanboyishly happy that “the guy from TNG and Stand By Me is using my program (Greymatter).” But now it means much more to me to think “one of the people who made it easier for people like me to talk openly online about depression and mental illness got started with my program” instead. I hope you don’t mind me keeping a little bit of quiet pride in that. (And I’m sorry I never made a PHP version.) 🙂

    Thank you for being who you are.

    1. It means so much to me that you’re still reading my blog, and I am honored that you share some pride in this whole thing, because you certainly played a part in it.

34. Congrats Wil, I’ve been reading your blog off and on (mostly on) for going on 10 years now. You’ve made a huge difference in my life on many fronts (depression, poker, living life fully, etc.) Thank you for persevering and I can’t wait to see what comes next!

35. As it happens, August 23rd is my birthday too. And I can’t think of a better blog to share it with. Thanks, Wil.

36. “This year, I don’t much feel like taking a victory lap, because I feel like there’s still so much to accomplish and so much that I want to do, and after all this time I am more fearful than ever that I’m going to wake up and find that it’s all gone.”

    I understand your pain. I wake up in a panic fairly regularly. Then I remember (thanks to you and your openness) that depression lies. And that is often the root cause of this kind of fear.

    All you can do is just keep getting out of bed and moving forward each day, even if the movement is very slow and very little.

    Thanks for all you do – your sharing of your life has brought me much joy. Happy Anniversary!!

37. I just want to give you a hug or pat you on the back and say you’re doing a good job and thank you. Thank you for staying grounded, thank you for showing the world it is OK to be smart, funny, nerdy, a geek or anything else they want to be. Thank you for being a nerdy kid on on a spaceship. For saying F.U. to Hollywood and trying to be a normal guy with a job like mine. Thank you for coming back and being an extraordinary guy. Thank you for speaking out and encouraging people with anxiety and depression to get help; and everything else positive you do I really mean it “Thank You”.

38. It goes further still – you’re changing the life of a 66 year old dude and for the better!

39. Happy anniversary, Wil. Keep thinking thinky thoughts. (I need to do the same, after a very…odd…weekend at work. But for now, I rest.)

40. congrats. keep up the good work! you’re one of my all time favorites.

41. It’s not going to disappear, because you don’t get up in the morning and demand respect for past accomplishments. Rather, you get up in the morning and set about the hard work of achieving new ones. If you did only that, you’d wind up more successful than most people. But add to it that you have a decent chunk of gray-matter and seem to genuinely be a nice guy.

    To put it simply, you drive forward, you learn quickly, and you attract good people. That’s a recipe for durable success. Will you hit potholes and deal with A-holes? Absolutely! Will you encounter change that shakes your confidence? Oh H*ll yes, haha, all successful people do. But things won’t disappear, because in those times, you’ll sit down and parse the situation and figure out what you can affect, and off you’ll go – solving the problems and driving forward.

    Sure, you (and every other child actor) owe quite a bit of your early success to luck. But the fact is, that for the last 20 years, you’ve been “all about the ground game”. You didn’t “luck” into your current success. You hewed it out of granite with a friggin pick-axe while the peanut gallery made snarky “Wesley” comments. You want to know why I read your blog? Why I’m interested in – and support your projects? It’s almost entirely based on what you’ve done since 2001. Did I like Stand by Me? Yep. Am I a Trekkie? Absolutely. But that’s not why I keep coming back. Not by a long shot.

    Sorry for the loss of your childhood friend. Those types of losses are a lot to ponder, and a good reminder to appreciate the loved ones we still have.

42. for those of us who are always a complicated mix of emotions – thank you for always finding the right words even when you think you can’t find them.

    I have only been reading this blog for maybe a year (prob less than that – time fleets by so fast) and I found it cause i was looking for help. “I am not a Builder” was exactly the help i was looking for — it was the first time someone knew exactly how I felt. I am not open about how i feel and how difficult it can be. The world started to feel less lonely. I actually did go and get help after coming to this blog for some refuge. In reading your blog I don’t have to worry about people judging or questions asked.

    thank you wil wheaton — you are doing great things. congratulations.

    be well..

    if i may ask, when those complicated emotions do arise how are you able to sort them out to get through it? — maybe writing is how you do it?

43. I’m really behind on blog reading right now so i just got to this. Congrats on another year and also, thank you for mentioning River. It was my birthday this week too and I’ve been having a rough time. Several years ago now, my best friend was murdered by a couple of kids who thought it’d be awesome to kill a gay guy. This year I’m twice as old as he was when he died and this is the year he’s been dead as long as he was alive (how’s that for an f’ed up kind of logic problem?). Anyway, just… Thanks. In a weird way it helped me feel a little less sorry for myself to remember that other people, even awesome people like you, lost friends too and that they’re still… You know, living life and stuff and still remembering, but not getting stuck there… So, yeah, just thanks.

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