Friday Funny - Laughter Truly IS The Best Medicine

One of the most ardent debates going on today revolves around the use of Social Media. Be it MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Klout...the list gets longer and longer. The debate stems around whether we're detaching from face-to-face communication to spend time sitting in a corner clasping our smartphones in our hands, tapping away. And while I found myself spending just a *wee* bit too much time on each of these platforms when I first got on them, I like to think I've found some balance in it.

For those of you that don't know me, I've been a vocal advocate of getting away from Facebook, due to privacy concerns. I'm not going to go into the hows and whys now, but I got rid of my account several weeks ago and haven't regretted it. At the same time, I have a Twitter account that I use regularly. I had a 'personal only' account several years ago; I had a negative experience and ended up killing my account to avoid someone that I was having difficulties with. I had a friend, who doesn't use Twitter, ask me why I would bother to try another account. My response, "Because there are crazy people no matter where you go."

So, I started my @ArchivalBiz account with the hopes of keeping it more business than personal. This is a very, very challenging thing to do. But I also realized, the wonder of Twitter is YOU decide who you follow and what information you get. I found lists to be a great way to manage the people and organizations that I follow, and I think I gave them some cool names: In A Family Way are all my genealogy/genealogical friends and organizations; Its All About History are all my Archives/Archivists/History/Librarian tweeps; You Are What You Eat are my Fitness/Running/PoleDancing follows; you get the idea. As a resource, Twitter is an amazing place to find curated content; information that's specific to a topic that you're interested in.

This the where the 'Friday Funny' part comes in. My blog posts have been sporadic because my life has been, well, very challenging lately. There is not a single major aspect of my life that hasn't had some sort of setback from physical ailments, to sick parents, to financial challenges, to losing clients and possibly losing my job as an Archivist...again, you get the point. So, what's funny?

What's funny is how my Twitter followers, especially  the genealogy ones, make me feel. I cannot think of another 'industry' where people are so invested in one another. It's sort of a 'duh' thing; it's genealogy dummy! But, at the same time, they don't have to be so giving and caring. The last few days have been excruciatingly difficult, but each morning when I signed into Twitter I would see my 'good mornings' from my 'Family Way' folks and it just makes me feel good. I feel happy to know their day-to-day things, and I know they really do care about mine. I don't share the details of my drama...gosh, even *I* don't like thinking about it. But, as an example, we had the best time this morning teasing someone (who lives on the other side of the world, btw) about a new haircut he had gotten, razzing him about putting up a picture. To outside observers it was probably a bit much, but for me, it was a small joy among so much negative stuff. A tiny little thing that's not so tiny; being able to laugh when you really think there's not anything to laugh about.

So, laughter is, indeed, the best medicine. And I guarantee you, if you need a little support, Social Media can be the gateway to so many wonderful people, both virtually and in person. You just have to get out there.

If you light a lamp for someone else it will also brighten your path.    

~ Buddha