Hey, ARMY!

You and I are so similar in our journey to find the boys and the impact they have had! There’s that part of you that camps out in the back of your mind and continues to wonder if you’ve lost your mind. All reason. Like, is this a mid-life crisis and I’ll snap out of it at some point? Do I just need a serotonin boost in this phase of life and they naturally give it and eventually I’ll move along?

That’s what my husband expected. That this was just another phase. Another thing that I would throw myself into, but the interest would quickly fade. Like my cookie decorating phase. It came and went with the holiday season and all I was left with were a ton of cookie cutters that would never again see the light of day.

But this. Them. They will stick with me. The seven.

I’ve emotionally connected not only with them but their messages and who they are. As people. Not as entertainers. Not as good-looking boy band members. As people who have so sacrificially shared so much of themselves with us.

And BTS ARMY. So yeah, some are off the rails and make me roll my eyes, cringe, or shake with anger when they put the guys in peril with their ridiculous airport antics. But for the most part, I adore the people who also appreciate the seven for the amazing people they are.

With so many people reaching out to me in private messages, emails or even comments on TikTok, I saw that there were so many like me. I wasn’t alone in this. There were others who “got” me and completely understood this love and appreciation for the seven. And the more people reached out sharing their stories of feeling alone on this ARMY journey, and the more content I consumed, I had a realization: We (as lonely whale type BTS ARMY) witness these seven men connect. Constantly. They connect with each other and they connect with us.

They have relationships we all envy. They understand the importance of belonging and being fiercely loved, celebrated and accepted. We see that. We want that. We need that. And the people around us don’t necessarily get it so we sit in that place of knowing, understanding, needing and wanting and having no outlet to find it, absorb it and thrive.

Until we meet other ARMY who are just like us. Those we can connect with. Those that walk beside us. Celebrate a part of life that others don’t. That grieve in moments that we also grieve - when others may think we’ve gone off the deep end.

What BTS ARMY find in each other is exactly what the seven model for us and develop a thirst for: Love. Connection. Friendship.

So yeah, I’m going to stay connected. I’m going to continue to find ways to swim alongside the lonely. To be that person they can share a thought about what a lyric meant to them. Or how they are exceedingly missing Yoongi in the moment, or need to hear Hobi’s laugh. Because I get it. I need those things, too.

We aren’t crazy. This isn’t a phase. And we aren’t alone. There’s a huge BTS ARMY out here and hungry to share this journey of life that can’t be fully explained but can be completely felt.

Love you, ARMY!

Let’s make the most out of our time away from the seven so when they return, the entire world feels the explosion of our joyful reconnection. The future’s gonna be okay. We’ve got each other. Our boys have trained us well.

Borahae,

Stefne

P.S. #BTSProject529 Calendar soon to come. Be sure to sign up for the newsletter to get updates.

Join us on TikTok every Sunday evening at 8pm EST for a LIVE wrap up of each week's "The 529 Connection". Hosted by AP529 Founder, Stefne, on her channel (StefARMYProject529). If you can't watch live and want to watch later, Lives will be recorded and posted to our YouTube (ARMY Project 529).