I’ve heard the theory that there’s birthday people and there’s Christmas people. If you’re a birthday person, the biggest celebration comes on that special day, while others get far more excited about the holiday season. Personally, I’ve always been a sucker for the holidays. Every year shortly after Thanksgiving I get all giddy in preparation. Birthdays? Never really blew me away.
Today’s my birthday. And I think I might be seeing the light.
I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed with the fantastic outpouring of well wishes that my friends, old and new, have shown me today. A great deal of ink has been spilled about the significance of our “friends”, those instant, seemingly pointless connections made by clicking “accept” on one of any number of social sites. Many have claimed, and in at least some part rightfully so, that these connections are largely pointless, a way to collect rather than connect.
Maybe that’s true, but today I have been humbled at the number of connections who have taken time to think about me enough to drop a line to wish me a happy birthday. People I’ve not met in person, people I knew from the LEGO community, family members, college friends, and long-time friends. The steady stream of quick, kind thoughts today has shown me that while each one may represent only a small social activity, in aggregate they’ve absolutely made my day.
Thanks everyone for the fantastic reminder of how amazing this social web can be!
