The Shape of Today

Right here, right now.

I started to make this post about the growing toxicity of American culture. Then I realized two things:

1. The best way to fight said toxicity is to deny it...everywhere, every day. Do not be sucked in by it. Precious minutes, hours, and days will disappear into its stinking black maw and never come back, and I can do better with the time I have. And that brings me directly to:

2. I have something much more pleasant to post about this morning, so the denial of toxicity starts right here, right now. Without further delay.

The night before last I was enjoying adding a few more entries to my "To be read" list thanks to the wise recommendation of Neil Gaiman, whose The View From the Cheap Seats I discussed a couple of posts ago. As sai Gaiman appears to be more active on Twitter than on Facebook, I decided to tweet him expressing my appreciation for the book. Because we all like to be told when we've done well and have made someone else smile, think, and other good things. I then tottered off to bed only to wake to a very nice surprise...sai Gaiman (or whoever manages his Twitter account) liked my tweet so much that he re-tweeted it.

Neil Gaiman, just so you know, has over two million Twitter followers. Whether he himself actually saw my tweet is no longer the question. A lot of people are suddenly visiting my profile, and even following me.

The question now is...how ought I to react to this sudden influx of attention? And the answer is simple, really...to use it for good. That's what the heroes in the tales I love do...they use their power for good. The toxicity I mentioned at the beginning of this post thrives on social media, but so too can its opposite number. If we help it along.

Right here, right now.