The Magic of Community

I am a huge fan of classic movies. My go-to channel is Turner Class Movies (TCM), and there's a community of classic movie fans on Twitter who use the hashtag #TCMParty to tweet about whatever movie is airing on TCM. 

Tonight, after a very exhausting day of dealing with yet another flare, I watched two of my favorite classic Christmas movies that were airing on TCM: Christmas in Connecticut (1945) and The Bishop's Wife (1947). 

Watching them while live-tweeting with other classic movie fans was exactly what I needed. The movies themselves bring immense joy, but sharing that joy and appreciation with others just makes it all the better. 

This is the power of social media: community. And when you're stuck at home with a chronic illness and unable to be out with friends, or would rather stay at home, warm and cozy, yet share your interests with others, social media can be an absolute lifesaver. I've created a wonderful community of folks on Twitter, not only with classic movies, but also with other historians and other writers. That's why I hope Twitter doesn't implode because I will deeply miss it.

Blogging once offered me the same type of community, and while many of those friends migrated to Twitter or Facebook where we continued our relationship, I lost touch with a number of others. But I guess that's just life, isn't it? Some college and high school friends, past co-workers, and other acquaintances have faded out of my life, and I'm sure some people I know now will do the same. 

Community has always been very important for me. Sharing my interests with others only deepens my knowledge and bonus, creates amazing friendships!