The the day after Christmas, 2018, found me at work at my usual time (05:45 in case you were wondering) pondering the previous 5 days. For most, the four days before Christmas of 2018 were probably spent with friends and family, having a joyous time and focusing on all that was good with their year and looking forward to the new year. Not so much for me.
I spent that weekend sick, along with my wife, all while trying to take care of our four year old granddaughter who lives with us. I had also been gathering some information about some news I had been waiting on for the past couple of months, and by the afternoon on Christmas I received some round about information that confirmed what I had long suspected. I don’t want to get into the details about what “that” was; it isn’t crucial to where I am headed with this later, just know that it contributed to where my head was on the morning of 26 December, 2018, when I posted this tweet:
I was serious. As I sat at my desk in a very quiet office, waiting on co-workers that wouldn’t appear for another 2 1/2 hours, I was stuck in my own head. On a good day it’s a hectic place to be, but on this particular morning it wasn’t a good place at all. That’s where that tweet came from.
Fast forward 24 hours. Maybe my brain knew something subconsciously that I couldn’t figure out in the moment, that turning to my online support group was the best solution to where I was at that moment. Alcoholics, gamblers, and a myriad of other groups in society that have issues have different 12 step programs they can turn to for support.
Wi-Fi folks have Twitter.
Where as others go to actual meetings in their community, Wi-Fi people turn to their support group, which is Twitter. Luckily for me, the Wi-Fi community on Twitter responded to my tweet, and 14 hours later I was back on the path. Between public responses to my tweet, private messages, and a few contacting me directly on my cell to check up on me, my online community came through for me.
It’s comforting to know that we aren’t in this alone. If you do Wi-Fi in any capacity you need to be on Twitter and start following the community there. I don’t care if you focus on Wi-Fi as a primary responsibility and thrive in the details or you happen to be the person who drew the short straw and are stuck staring and these weird numbers called “Minimum Basic Rates”, there is help out there.
For those that reached out to me, either on Twitter or text messages, I truly appreciate the effort. My wife didn’t understand why such simple messages meant so much to me but the fact they came from people I consider to be the titans of the industry, the fact that they took the time meant everything in the world to me, especially at that moment.
We don’t have 12 steps, but what we have is the best online tech community there is.
Bar none.
I Don't Know Squat About Networking 