I'll Stay Connected This Year

I've done the whole digital sabbatical thing before and it's not that great. For all the talk about making an effort to send letters or make phone calls, in the time I took off, I found myself feeling more lonely. I watched more television. I worried more about my interactions locally with my colleagues. 

I began to miss my friends. 

See, there's this beauty to the imperfect relationships that happen online. It happens when the novelty of social media fades and I'm stuck with the people who truly know me. I know, I know, it's through the veneer of technology. There are no hugs or facial expressions or whatever. However, it's online that I often feel the most known, accepted and appreciated. 

Here's what I mean:

• Every week, I e-mail Tom Panarese and we talk openly about teaching in a way that never happens with colleagues. 
• When I thought about going public with fiction writing, I was heavily encouraged by Tim Gwynn and Philip Cummings. Afterward, people like A.J. Juliani, William Chamberlain, Rafranz Davis, Pernille Ripp, and A.J. Juliani encouraged me through the process. 
• When I wanted to quit teaching, Bill Ferriter, Michael Doyle and Brett Clark offered words of encouragement that I desperately needed. 
• When I am bored, I know I can joke around with Josh Stumpenhorst or Andrew Campbell. 
• On a regular basis, I am challenged by the blog posts of Nancy Flannagan, Bill Ferriter, Justin Stortz, Michael Doyle, Jose Vilson, Scott Wiley, Pernille Ripp and others. 
• I feel like I've gotten to know the Techlandia people (Jon Samuelson, Curt Rees, Allison Anderson, Dave Guymon) and can talk to them about anything. 
• I have gotten crazy opportunities I couldn't have imagined, because of folks like Shelley Sanchez and Nancy Flannagan.