Where are they now?

So I was sitting here being bored and I decided to go look at the very first grow journal on here. Long story short, it was pretty weak haha. Anyways I began looking at the profile pages of all the users who posted grow journals on the first couple pages, and most them haven't even been active on this forum since like 2008, for example (I was still a marine, growing marijuana was the furthest thing from my mind at that point.) It made me really think about all those people, and why they discontinued their patronage to this fine forum. Did they get a great job that caused them to quit smoking? Did they get busted? Did they just no longer have time to grow their own? Did they get sick of people trolling them? Who really knows, but what I do know is that we all come, we all go, but certain things will remain. In eight years, what will some guy or girl think when they're bored and snowed in and look at my grow journal from eight years previous? Will I still be an active participant on here? Will I still be seeking to improve this craft I love, or will marijuana prohibition laws still force me to keep this on the down low, and perhaps even quit because secrets are easier to keep from 18 month olds than 8 year olds?
One thing I know, the excited anxiousness and cautious trepidation of looking forward are only countered by the sweet nostalgia of things we were doing at this point or that point in time's journey, soon followed by the crushing melancholy of knowing no matter how wonderful or terrible those times were, they were times we'll never know again, and never be able to experience in any other way than distorted memories...
That sounded more depressing than I meant it to sound, sorry guys. Anyways the sun came out and I think it might be above zero now so I got chores to do. Peace!

People come and go
That's the nature of a forum
Some have moved on with life
A few have actually passed away we know of

Some are speculated to have died in accidents or passed on

And others just don't post grows via websites
And some moved on to new places

But within those losses and leaves new people have come and they have lots to offer and they will leave eventually

Such is life

kinda like Thanksgiving: Making a batch of power stuffing(dressing) with a lot of the leftovers, livers, gizzards, meat, nuts, all sorts of shit. A metaphor of life, yummy!

Interesting train of thought, OP. I would guess that some came to this site to learn how to grow, and once they're proficient at it they no longer need the site (if they don't enjoy its social aspect). Also, dudes like Al B Fuct and Collective Gardner got busy with other pursuits, and while they still grow, their lives are too busy to fit in RIU time. When I joined I was desperately looking for a way to get out of the corporate world, and only used the site to learn to grow. After I started making a living with my op, I was free to relax and enjoy the site's social merits, which is pretty much all I do now. I haven't even been to the growing section for years, and don't really look at others' grows. I see my grow several times a day, and that's enough for me...