It was just a train ride. Like any other train ride. But different.
You know how it is.
Something happens to you. Something unique. Something that comes along once in a lifetime.
And it changes you. Perhaps forever. Perhaps half of forever. Whatever.
You're different. Stronger. Better. Clearer. Bolder.
You've defined your place in life.
Just a little bit more than the week before. Or month. Or year.
I know.
That train ride leaving New York's Blogger Social told me something happened.
Wasn't sure yet what was different. But something changed. I needed time. Distance.
So I got to thinking about stories.
So many stories were shared. At the speed of light. Well, kind of.
Do the math. 80 people. 20 hours. Or more. 2 days. That's a lot of talking. That's a lot of stories.
17,200 stories I figure. Told. Shared. Laughed at. Listened to.
Heck, I'm a filmmaker. The number may be off. Never mind. Forget the number. Here's what you need to know.
Thousands, and I mean thousands of stories were told.
And lives changed.
So I got to thinking about the power of stories. Our stories.
Here's what I believe about our stories. I've believed this my whole life. But here's the thing.
Blogger Social manifested and crystalized that belief in few hours.
BAM! Just like that.
So here's my DNA of last weekend. My mini-manifesto of Blogger Social '08. And life.
- I believe in the power of story.
- I believe our stories outlive us.
- I believe we were all witnesses to something greater than ourselves.
- I believe our stories bear witness to creating new realities.
- I believe we changed the world just enough to create a new story.
- I believe I discovered the other half of my soul.
Thank you CK.
Thank you Drew.
Thank you for creating a new story.
A story that will, no doubt, be looked upon as visionary and historic.
A new story not just for 80 people to believe in...but thousands more.
Not bad for just gettin' a little social, huh?
---Tom
