Three weeks ago, a conversation happened during #Tweetdiner, the weekly chat that I started with Stan Smith. The conversation focused on what we could do to help Japan. Three weeks later, we have a website, a Facebook page, and a registered Twitter hashtag at #care4Japan, and tomorrow begins a week-long Twitter chat that will hopefully raise awareness and drive donations to the American Red Cross.
Some people say, in response to these efforts, that Japan doesn’t really need our help. They’re a wealthy country. They can self-sustain.
Every month this year, I’ve decided to take on a new eating challenge. In January, I (mostly) gave up chocolate. In February, I gave up all microwave food. This past month, I gave up my beloved Pepsi. For April, I’m trying to eat raw, which is proving highly interesting and a bit scary.
Have you ever watched Hook, the Peter Pan take-off starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman? In the movie, there’s a great scene that explores Hook’s immense fear of time. You see, Hook fears his own mortality, and he is surrounded by the boys from Neverland who never grow older. You can’t really blame him for hating the sounds of ticking clocks.
Just about a year ago, I was trying to tweet and blog, and I wasn’t having very much luck at it. It all looked so easy and effortless until I started trying to do it. I knew then that any success I would find in this space would be because people took a chance on me. And a year later, as I reflect back on what has happened in my online reality, I must pause to celebrate you.