The Incredible Power of Twitter
Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 5:59PM It's no surprise to those that know me that I love, LOVE, Twitter! Something happened today though that amped up that love and added a huge dose of amazement and awe!
This story starts back in 1975. I was just turning 12 and about to leave home alone for three months to visit my grandparents in Switzerland. My parents decided to have a party to celebrate my departure (hmm, curious) and my father insisted on some live entertainment.
Not understanding the complexities of booking musicians, I probably asked for Harry Nilsson or Kris Kristofferson. My dad 'knew a guy' whom he assured me was just as good if not better!
We lived in an old Victorian house overlooking the Hudson River just west of Poughkeepsie and in the shadow of the Railroad Bridge (which has now been transformed into a walkway across the Hudson and looks amazing on Google Maps!). I can still picture this guitar player sitting on the big wrap-around front porch under the hanging baskets of fuschia that always made a bloody mess of the gray paint on the porch.
Fast forward 35 years and I'm having a casual chat with one of the most gracious Twitter users I know, Roy Atkinson, who also lives in Maine but whom I've never met. Or have I?
I mentioned how fortunate we are to live in Maine, regardless of how we got here (me via Switzerland and New York State), and he responded that he too had hailed from New Jersey and New York. A couple more tweets and I discover he lived in the Mid-Hudson Valley, not far from where I grew up.
He mentioned he was in the music field back then, and some long dormant synapses started firing in my brain, especially once I said his name out loud. It felt so familiar. Not so much the sound, but it felt familiar when I said it over and over to myself.
See, I didn't get a lot of cool things as a kid, so having a concert organized just for me meant I planned on getting some mileage out of it! I probably told people for months that Roy Atkinson played at my house! I know what it felt like to talk about that name!
But it couldn't be the same guy. That would be nuts! I went out on a limb to ask him if he used to play at a wine bar on Market Street in Poughkeepsie, even though I couldn't remember the name of the place. If he said yes, this would be the tell-tale sign. If he said no, then I wouldn't have risked looking the fool asking him if he had ever been on my porch.
Once he confirmed that he often played at the Old Coat (that was the name!), I felt confident enough to tell my fellow Twitter friend that he graced my front porch and entertained many friends of mine one night 35 years ago!
How amazing! Amazing on so many levels. How we both end up in Maine, converse occasionally with each other on Twitter, and make the mental connections to discover that we had already met once before!
Thank you Roy! For the entertainment back then and your caring, gracious spirit on Twitter!
That's just one of the reasons I love Twitter. What about you? Why do you love Twitter?
Social Media, Twitter
Reader Comments (3)
thanks for sharing this with me. this is indeed very cool. very nicely written too! :)
annie
Sabine - It's an incredible coincidence, but I find that life is fraught with those. It's such a pleasure to be reminded of a flowery porch on a pleasant evening by my favorite river, and great people in the Mid-Hudson Valley. So great to connect with you again. -
This was one of the most delightful posts I have read in a long time. And I read a Ton (or at least 1500 pounds of) delightful posts. I am telling everyone!