When I first moved into
my current neighborhood,
very few people said hi
when I passed them on the street.
That’s not the type of neighborhood
I wanted to live in.
So I started saying hi
to everyone.
At first, they were shocked.
Then, they started
returning my greeting.
Today, a few decades later,
it is expected
that everyone says hi.
Visitors to the neighborhood
know and expect this.
When I first started
hanging out virtually on Twitter,
I was warned it was a hostile environment.
That’s not the type of environment
I wanted to promote in.
So I started posting
complimentary comments
on threads.
I thank people for providing
entertaining
or educational content.
I give people virtual hugs
when they have tough days.
I also filter my followers
and who I am following,
something I can’t do
in my neighborhood.
My Twitter experience
is now filled with joy.
This change isn’t possible
with every environment.
There are some places
that will always be hostile.
We should get the h*ll out of those environments
as soon as we can.
But some environments
CAN be tweaked to be places of joy.
Consider becoming the person
you want to spend time with in that space.