After being a long-time fan of their eponymous blog, Freedom Is Groovy, I was caught off guard when Mrs. Groovy reached out with an offer for me to write a guest post on a topic of my choosing. The offer appeared out of thin air and for no particular reason, which experience has taught me is how some of the best moments in life tend to occur. They had me at hello.
My unbridled enthusiasm at this opportunity begged the questions: How did I (a newbie physician finance blogger) find the Groovies? Why do I love their blog so damn much?
Prepare, unsuspecting reader, for something Mrs. Groovy definitely did not ask for: a crush letter to a blog. Because she felt understandably awkward about tooting her own horn, instead of a guest post, it's going to appear right here, as a surprise gift to a couple of invisible friends I like.
If I were a seventh grader, this would be the mix tape I'd make to that cute brunette who sat next to me in Algebra. Not the peroxide blonde all the guys were crushing on, but her whip-smart best friend, overlooked with the freckles, the witty one with the great smile.
A Budding Bromance
I was introduced to the Groovies via Rockstar Finance, which is simultaneously the world's most friendly and least judgmental club for finance geeks who blog, a celebration and support hub for this tribe of misfits.
Among other functions, the site curates posts and places them before thousands of eyeballs every week. Having a post featured on Rockstar can temporarily boost an unknown website's traffic from Amish-country-road quiet to rush-hour-at-LAX busy. A few lucky breaks put me on their radar, bringing in readers beyond my target demographic (highly trained, deeply indebted financial illiterates colloquially known as "doctors.").
As with most of my formative years (a period of time encompassing any year prior to the current one), the details of our first encounter are fuzzy. Mr. Groovy may have appeared after one of my Rockstar features, bringing witty repartee and encouragement to the void that was my comments section.
Alternately, I may have caught Mr. Groovy's eye as commenter #54 after Rockstar featured yet another winsome Freedom Is Groovy post. I imagine I left an indelible first impression as a promising new wordsmith with, "I like how you did the thing with the words that made me laugh but also think."
The New York accent from the occasional Talking Trash youtube videos, abrasive to untrained ears, rings of comfort in mine thanks to a contingent of great aunts and uncles who arrived in this country via Ellis Island, and whose English was a mash-up of Brooklyn and Havana.
From these auspicious beginnings, an online friendship was born. Like the Harvey to my Jimmy Stewart, Mr. Groovy has become a presence I enjoy even if no one else can see him. His writing amuses and impresses me while his ideas push me to reconsider my dogmas.
Through her own posts and comments, her set-the-record-straight retorts to Mr. Groovy's wise-ass remarks, and her uncontested dominance on the Groovy fight-o-meter during the development of Groovy Ranch (the name they've given to the new home they are building), I became acquainted with Mrs. Groovy. She strikes me as both a class act and a tough broad, terms I reserve for my highest praise.
As a guy who also married out of his league, I recognize in Mr. Groovy someone who is similarly tickled by his good fortune in finding a mate. Henpecked husband act notwithstanding, their obvious affection for one another suffuses the writing if you know how to look.
All of these features are assets, but none explain the wide and loyal readership that Freedom Is Groovy has built over time. It's more than mutual pleasantries, conflict resolution in a public arena, or the idiosyncratic rants of an endearing curmudgeon that leaves me wanting more.
After all, I've got a beloved, crazy uncle who bear hugs me every Thanksgiving, tries to provoke me into political arguments, and then corners me to share his latest conspiracy theories, and I never go back for second helpings of what he's serving.
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What's in the sauce that makes Freedom Is Groovy taste so good?
Following are a few observations on what they do right that keeps me coming back for more as a reader even as it motivates me to up my game as a blogger.
1) It's honest.
The Groovies are not trying to fool me, convert me or sell me something. They want to be out in the world because they have a unique perspective, something interesting to say and a colorful way to express it. They like their fellow humans and it shows.
2) It's relatable.
I am neither retired nor in my 50s. I have never lived in New York, and I've never visited the South. I'm a breeder; they have no kids. I live in ridiculously high-priced southern California. By all appearances, the Groovies and I have nothing in common. Yet I have mental images of both of them composed of a thousand minor details gleaned from their posts. They are likeable, quirky and flawed like me. They push themselves to learn outside of their zone of comfort. They fight, keep score, and let me watch! Their ideas boil down to continually figuring out how to live your life according to your values, and I learn a lot seeing how they answer those questions.
3) It's civil.
Back to the crazy uncle - Mr. Groovy, a strong "Freedomist," is not shy about sharing his views on controversial topics. But he'll disagree respectfully with opposing viewpoints, and he'll engage in the sort of listening that the web is not known to foster. He's always a gentleman and a scholar.
4) It's loving.
Take a look at a typical reply to a comment made by either of the Groovies. They are generous in complimenting others, often insisting a particular turn of phrase you used is brilliant. They address you by name and refer to you as "my friend" more often than the husband and wife who run your local ethnic grocery store. If I didn't cut my own hair, it's how I'd want to be welcomed at the local barbershop: warmly by folks who are happy to see me.
5) It's unique.
The writing is excellent, precise, quirky, a little ribald. There are dingleberries, neologisms, and original devices that hook you. Mr. Groovy likes to bemoan how his journalism degree never paid off for him. Fortunately, it's paid off handsomely for the rest of us.
Groovies, thank you for the opportunity to kvell a little. You do your readers proud.
Well, Groovy Freedomists, what say you? Too much sap for one post?