I joined Twitter in 2007, but fell in love with it in 2008.  The love affair continued in 2009, but waned in 2010 as what I have since discovered my thyroid decided to give up the ghost.

Coincidentally, Twitter became crowded.  I didn’t find the information I used to when I went to Twitter with a question.  Everyone was pimping something and the conversations that seemed to happen without hierarchy appeared to be lost to me.

I’m back on Twitter and trying to sort through the noise, but it isn’t as cute as I remembered sorta like that boy you had a crush on in high school–the one you imagined aged into a George Clooney only to find at the 25th reunion he went more in the direction of George Costanza.

Still lovable, but not one you want to rip your clothes off.

Oddly, the online community where I have found more conversation this year is Facebook.

You know what…

I started writing this in my head earlier today and now that I put it on “paper” I’m calling bullshit on myself.

I’m responding to a writing prompt that I received through social media, but that doesn’t mean I need to think about a social media community.

And as much as I do believe in online communities and the amazing connections that can bloom from them, I still need for a community to become personal and occasionally exist in my real life for it to have meaning for me.

So where did I discover community this year?  I’m not sure I found any new ones.

I’ve always been someone who liked to be part of a community–someone who almost needed a community to feel valuable.  This year I think I’ve discovered (and I’m not entirely sold on this thought but I still have three more weeks to solidify it) the community in me.  Dare I say I am finding more confidence in myself without a community to reinforce my worth (or make me feel even worse about myself).  This is still a new concept for me, so don’t rush me into buying it completely.

Is this new discovery a factor of turning 40?  Not sure.  I’ve always assumed everyone else was completely well-adjusted and supremely self-confident by the age of 18.  Like I said yesterday, I think I’m a late bloomer.

This is a completely rambling and nonsensical post that probably should have been saved for a private journal, but I won’t because I have nervously admitted to the world that I might actually care more about what I think about myself than what others think.

And if you were my therapist from my 20’s, you’d be blown away.

Today’s post is inspired by #reverb10 and the following prompt.

Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

The last thing I made?  A hat!

It wasn’t this hat, but a blue one–and it’s ribbed (yes I’m giggling like a 14 yo).

I used soft worsted cotton in a beautiful jewel-toned blue.  I’m not in love with the way the pattern turned out, but I MADE it!  A hat!  And you could wear it and it wont’ fall apart.

Why am I so proud?  It’s just a hat.

But it’s more than that.  I finished it.

The perfectionist in me begins many projects but is often too afraid to finish them for fear that they won’t turn out to my standards.  So if I don’t finish something, I didn’t fail.

Yes I’m 40 and still battling with this.  Hoping I’m just a late bloomer.

Do I have something I want to create next year.  You bet I do.  I’ve been working on setting up a photography business for about eight months now.  Every new session is an opportunity to be creative and improve my skills.  But there is more, more I need to do to really turn it into a real business.    There are forms to fill out, forms to create, a website to build, products to try.  So often it all seems too overwhelming to accomplish with a full-time job and family and other responsibilities, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to take my logo–once finalized–and blow it up huge to remind myself of my goal.

And of course I want to make more hats.

*And I know that I’m talking about a photography business and posting fuzzy pictures of myself, but I assure you my real photos are much better.  This was a quick self-portrait on my cell phone taken after I finished my first hat.  What?  I was excited!

This post was inspired by the #reverb10 project.  The prompt for today was this.

Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?