It's About Time to Give Thanks

I've never once considered writing about giving thanks. At least not until now. And it's not that I have never been thankful, it's just that I usually thank those that I think I should and thank the powers that be when...well, I feel I should. Other than that, I'm usually too consumed with work, life and everything else to think about who and what  I should be thankful for. However, this year is different and I couldn't think of a better way to revive this damn blog then to write a quick post about being thankful.

The clean up, Somers Point, NJ

First I'd like to say that I'm thankful for my family. Our house is crazy. It's populated by me (enough said), my wife, my two daughters, my mother-in-law and two popcorn-eating hermit crabs. We're involved in sports, CCD, gymnastics, soccer, dance, art class, we work full time, enjoy wine and we're constantly on the run. However, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's crazy, and at times pure madness, but it's home and I'm thankful for it.

I'm also thankful for immediate family and extended family, who most recently helped us clean up my mother's home in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. It's been years since we all got together, and unfortunately I didn't get to see them, but somehow everyone managed to come together when my mom needed help most.

Finally, I'm thankful for a group of friends that I consider to be family. Throughout the year they provide constant support and companionship and have always been there for us. Each and every year they demonstrate their generosity by participating in our annual fundraising event to help raise money for childhood cancer research and each and every year I'm reminded just how fortunate I am to have them in our lives.

Team Payton 2012, Kicking Cancer's Butt
(http://www.facebook.com/teampayton2012)

As we head into another fun-filled Thanksgiving Day week I'm thankful I've got my health (for now), my family and a group of friends that just don't quit.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Frontier Communities

Back in July I wrote "New Construction and Building Community" a story about how Facebook helped our neighborhood come together, build friendships, and facilitate important news. It was also a story about how our online communities are fast becoming similar to the traditional ones we have become so familiar with.


Not much has changed since that post except that more families have joined our community and many of us continue to grow closer. The evolvement of these relationships and the maturation of our neighborhood over the past three months got me thinking about the two communities I participate in and how a Thanksgiving Day event brought some clarity to the importance of both.

On Thanksgiving a few of the guys in the neighborhood decided we should host our first annual Turkey Bowl. These games are played all of the U.S. and in our case consisted of a bunch of men in their 30's who wanted to relive their glory days by participating in a touch football game. We posted the event on our community Facebook page and simply waited to see who would show up.



The game was scheduled for 8:30 and a few of us committed to arrive early to set up for before kickoff. Two tents, a stand for the kiddos, and a cooler and we were ready to go. Sixteen men showed up for the event with many wives and children in tow to watch. It lasted two hours and everyone had a wonderful time. A short time later over 216 photos were posted on Facebook and contestants were sharing war stories on the group page. It was truly a community event, one that reinforced old relationships and introduced opportunities for new ones.


Once home I posted "I survived my first Turkey Bowl" to Twitter, provided a recap on Facebook, and uploaded a few of my own photos to Slideshare. Why? Because I wanted my other neighbors, those I rarely see but communicate with daily, to see how I kicked off my Thanksgiving. Having read Thanksgiving updates from @sonnygill, @SteveDrake, @knealemann, (and many others) I was eager to share how my day was going. I, like many others, participate in the nexus between two communities and enjoy bridging news from both at every opportunity.

These two spheres now make up my collective understanding of community and I enjoy participating in them equally. Through the use of social media and a healthy blend of interpersonal events, I've come to grow as a person, meet an array of interesting people, and broaden my access to knowledge tenfold.

We all have our immediate communities, those we physically interact with on a daily basis. However, our other communities play a new role in our lives and are shaping the way we see and interact with the world around us. I will likely see my friends from the "online world" at an upcoming conference, Tweet (insert holiday here) cocktail party, or random intersection and when I do we'll be able to comment on these and other pictures, postings, and windows into my life.


We are on the frontier of building communities through virtual and physical relationships and we will continue to build and shape them as long as we remain committed to participating in them.