If it wasnt for Hop....

If It wasnt for hop I wouldnt have met my husband.

If it wasnt for hop I wouldnt have my angel of a son.

If it wasnt for hop Flynty wouldnt be napping on my couch right now.

If it wasnt for hop I would have no idea what a wibble is.

If it wasnt for hop I wouldnt have so many friends in all courners of the world.

If it wasnt for hop I wouldnt have amazing plans for our family to visit the Yookay.

If it wasnt for hop I wouldnt have such a skewed view of icecream.

Im so thankful for hop....
There seems to be so much discord about Hop at the moment, and a little bit of Old skool vs New skool... but when its stripped right down and the politics are removed from it, Hop has changed my life in so many positive ways, and Im damn appreciative of it...

This is a thread so that people can tell us about their "if it wasnt for hop" stuff. Please dont bring any politics or rants in here, lets just appreciate the fact that we are lucky to have hop and all the selfless beautiful people who give it to us and work on it on a daily basis.

If it wasn't for HoP, I woudln't have met some of the bestest, most fantastic people ever.

I wouldn't have improved my staffing. I'd still be all "What the hell is contact?"

I wouldn't go "Gah! Damn yooooooooou" every time somebody said "I just lost"

I wouldn't know the hidden beauty of tiger balm.

*hugs Valura*

If it wasn't for hop, I'd never have been able to do that in person

If it wasn't for HoP ...

I wouldn't have ever picked up a fire poi.

I wouldn't have picked up a staff, let alone balance it on my head.

I wouldn't have known anything about fire fans.

I wouldn't have frozen my tush off in Berlin just to play with fire.

I wouldn't have developed friendships from all around the world.

I wouldn't have taken a trip to Australia.

I wouldn't be planning a trip to the UK.

I wouldn't be planning another trip to Australia.

I wouldn't have discovered the amazing group of fire dancers and drummers here in my home town.

I wouldn't have more friends saying "Go for it Gidg!" instead of "You can't do that."

I wouldn't be planning a trip to the East Coast.

If it wasn't for HoP:

I wouldn't have met some wonderful people and be lucky enough to have one of them working right near me

I wouldn't have had my imagination challenged enough to make me want to design things with metal and kevlar

thanks Malcolm, Flash, Dom, pyrolific, Pele and Charles

If it wasn't for HoP:

"I wouldn't have ever picked up a fire poi." Right there with you Gidg

I wouldn't have spent loads of money on fire spinning toys

I wouldn't have met some crazy people who make me laugh loads

I wouldn't know what a Zombie is (the drink, not the corpse thing)

I wouldn't be stuck in "the game" and wouldn't have just lost seeing as FRD wrote it first

If it wasn't for hop i'd still can't believe it's not butter.

If it wasn't for HOP I'd never have met the one man in the world who can be more random than me. *looks at above post*

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have the great friends I have

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't be going to New Zealand with one

If it weren't for HoP I wouldn't know how to be happy.

If it wasn't for HoP, I'd have missed out on countless s

If it wasn't for HoP, I'd not have so many special people in my life.

If it wasn't for HoP, I'd not have met my lady.

If it wasn't for HoP, I'd not have a huge list of beautiful people that I'm yet to meet!

If it wasn't for HoP, there wouldn't be quite so many disturbing photos of me on the internet!

Thankyou to everyone who's made HoP the place it is!

if it wasnt for HoP i wouldnt have to adelaide last year
if it wasnt for HoP i wouldnt have gone to brisbane this year
if it wasnt for HoP i wouldnt have soo many of my really good friends
if it wasnt for HoP Flynt wouldnt have taught me to snuggle
if it wasnt for HoP i wouldnt be able to stick a screwdriver 7cm into my nose (good or bad thing, you decide)

if it wasnt for HoP id be a completely different person to who i am today.

cheers, pete

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't be the University's only resident Fire Breather.

If it wasn't for HoP than I wouldn't be learning the Matrix, and other sh!t hot moves!

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have started staff spinning, and therefore would not have joined the University juggling society, and therefore (finally!) would not have met literally the best friend I have ever known!

If it wasn't for HoP I'd never have had Kyrian round so much, and that would have been a bad thing

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't know what "Goldschlager" was

I've actually just realised the way in which HoP has changed my life for the better... it's let me make contact with so many great people... Thanks for posting Valura!

Thank you Mods for making this a place I love to hang around in!

Valura
If it wasnt for hop I'd be spending a lot less time on the internet :P,
But I wouldn't have met so many amazing HoPpers who I love very much!!
Let's have a group hug!!

If it wasn't for Hop:-

I wouldn't have met some of the people I now class as dearest life long friends.

I wouldn't have the strong desire to over come my fear of flying so I can go and meet many more people I wish to have as life long friends.

I wouldn't have met Gayle who forced me to find out that swinging balls of fire around my head could give me such a buzz.

I wouldn't have met so many talented people that I admire hugely.

My faith in human nature would still be at a bit of a low ebb. Never have I met so many people that offer to help out someone (sometimes without having met that person) just because they know they are in trouble and need. It was an astounding feeling.

I would never have thought that meeting people off the net could be, not only a safe thing to do, but a positive thing too.

I wouldn't have known that there are so many s, Pixies, and Faeries all over the world spreading their love and kindness.

Spinning poi has changed my life for the better, HoP enhances that change.



Thank you to Malcolm and all the team for all the work you put in to keep this place going.

Thank you Valura for starting this thread. As always your beautiful, bright, loving light is beaming out and making the world a better place to live in! You truely are a made of

If it wasn't for HoP:
I doubt I would still be attempting Poi, I would have given up by now
I would never have met some of the best people alive
I probably wouldnt be as open to such a wide variety of ideas

if it wasn't for HOP there probably wouldn't be this great community of spinners round the world.

If it wasn't for HOP when you go to festivals or conventions and you get chatting to someone and they say "i'm so and so from HOP" and you can go straight from stangers to knowing each other quite well

if it wasn't for HOP, i'd get a lot more done at work

If it wasnt for HoP, I'd be living in tasmania, doing a job that made me miserable, instead of finally finding a home in melbourne, with flatmates whom I adore, starting my own business.

If it wasnt for HoP, my life would not have been blessed by many amazing, inspiring and loving individuals that continue to grace my life.

If it wasnt for HoP, I would not have grown as much as I have, as an individual, by finally accepting my differences, and the things that make me unique as a person (starting with firespinning).

If it werent for HoP, I'd have given up spinning a long time ago, and would be convinced that in spinning, as so many other things previously, I was a failure. I owe so much of my self esteem to HoP and the support network I've found here.

If it wasnt for HoP, i wouldnt have baked 5 trays of brownies for complete strangers.

If it wasn't for HoP, me and Cantus wouldn.t have got whiplash on the way to Clapham

If it wasn't for HoP, I would never have met some of the nicest, most talented, modest, friendliest, kindest, loveable people.

If it wasn't for HoP, I wouldn'e have got over my mum's death as well as I have

If it wasn't for HoP, I wouldnt have the fear of Badgers that I do now...

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't be posting this right now
If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't know what I was missing out on (meetastically speaking)
If it wasn't for HoP UCOF would have never had my toffees posted to him
If it wasn't for HoP Mynci and LilMissSmartyPants wouldn't be an item
If it wasn't for HoP I'd have no fun
If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have spun fire in front of 10,000 people last november
If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have spun my fluffies today on the Castle Grounds
If it wasn't for HoP I'd have never found a fourth use for socks (the second is to use them to wipe up wee spillages next to my PC, the third is to make hand puppets)
If it wasn't for HoP I'd have like three or four friends. I now have dozens - yay!

If it wasn't for HoP I would still be a shy quiet person too scared to go out and do things

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't be living in Bristol.

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have coped with my "bad period" in 2002.

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't be in tears thinking about how much HoP has helped me.

If it wasn't for HoP I don't know what or where I would be. I grew up on HoP. I learnt about life through HoP. I learnt to view the world differently. I learnt to be open, i learnt to be who i am.

If it wasn't for HoP, I wouldn't be writing this from New York

If it wasn't for HoP, I might not have met my wife.

If it wasn't for HoP, I might not have met so many wonderful people.

If it wasn't for HoP, I might not have found out about Tribe.net

If it wasn't for HoP, I might not be currently living in Australia.

If it wasn't for HoP, I might have read more books.

If it wasn't for HoP, I might have spent more time focusing on my then job, and have become an executive in the company.

If it wasn't for HoP, I might have used my free time to find that solution to the cold fusion mystery.

Amazing I started a "Why I love this board" for our local board yesterday.

HOPs given me so much. Mostly love and warmth and people that help me enjoy life.
Its given me much quicker typing skills as it helped me discover MSN ( but my spelling is MUCH much worse now)
Its driven me to better computer literacy to support my HOP habit.
Its always a place to come when I cant sleep and need to chill for an hour before going back to bed
Its a place full of people with different veiwpoints to expand me in a non threatening way
Its a place thats driven me demented just recently then helped me back on track. Thanks guys.
I meet lovely new people as they travel
It gave me CG..where I met so many wonderful people!!!
so many things I have forgotten....

i wouldnt have learnt so much stuff, done so much stuff, or met so many people, seen so many things .. but who knows?

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have spent so many weekends last year in random fields having fun with fantastic people

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have have found so many lovely loony people who i feel so comfortable and happy around

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have learnt so much about myself and what i want from life.

If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't have challenged myself to learn so many new things

If it wasn't for HoP there wouldn't be a fraggle in my kitchen making me tea

Thank you HoP!

"If it wasn't for HoP I wouldn't know what "Goldschlager" was "

That stuff is goooooooooood

"If it wasn't for HoP I would still be a shy quiet person too scared to go out and do things"

This as well. Since I've been going to meets and stuff, my self confidence has increased somewhat