It was one hell of a run. Thousands upon thousands of textual interactions for just over one year. I've met and exchanged laughs with people from far and wide. The world is truly a remarkable place full of amazing individuals. I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with each and every one, but the time has come for me to move on.
The price of maintaining these relationships is a hefty one. The time I spent neck deep in virtual interactions is time less spent with the most important people I know. My family. While the gap between strangers narrows, the distance between my wife and son grows. I'm fortunate enough to have an understanding wife who's insight helped lead me to this point.
You are not worth the price. Nothing personal.
Twitter is, and always will be an incredibly powerful tool capable of connecting like minded people while negating the problems of geography. Politicians, teachers, artists, social activists, actors, models, and even common tradesfolk all find ourselves standing on a level playing field. Our sense of selves is united based on our intellectual properties and (for the most part) blind to the visual assumptions.
If you're anything like me; and I suspect many of you are. Be mindful of yourself. Self-awareness is becoming a commodity in short supply these days. It's easy to lose sight of your feet when so much is happening in front of you.
I'll still be around. Taking pictures and making video shorts for my amusement, but the conversation on Twitter has ended. New horizons await. Besides, I'm really digging reality.
Jaeson T Cardiff.
Jaeson, I see how twitter takes up a huge bite of my day & I know when to step back. Because of twitter I now have more friends than I've ever had in my whole life. The world has opened up for me!You know how to get in touch with us, you know where we live, please keep in touch. I subscribe to your YouTube Channel, been subscribed for quite some time. Every time you post something new we both watch it, sometimes more than once! BTW: Nat Geo has a photo contest every year. That photo you took of the castle - I know you know which one I'm talking about - That photo - it is an contest winning, award winning, awe inspiring, absolute professional, money maker, frame deserving, all time beautiful & perfect photograph. It is a total work of art. We just knew each other before. Since Husband & I added you to our Twitter world we've gotten to know you even more. I'll miss the stories about your world, your son (so precious and lucky to have you for a father) and interesting info connected to your job. I'll miss the convos we've had with others. It's like you've had to divorce/unfriend so many people. This is such a sad moment in our #yyc #Twitterverse. :( We will always be your friend, twitter or not.
ReplyDeleteThanks Anne. I'm always around. :)
DeleteOh Jaeson, twitter won't be the same without you. I completely understand the desire to spend more time with family and less time staring at a screen. I am really glad we got to meet in your year online. Promise me that you will keep updating this blog and posting cafe racer videos. I can't wait for the next installments of Bums to Bonneville. Like Anne, I am going to miss the stories of your life that popped up. Enjoy your time with your family,
ReplyDeleteNicki and Evan
Thanks very much. I've learned a lot while on Twitter and had a heck of a good time in the process. Glad to have met you two. Say hello to Phillip for me.
DeleteAll the best.
While Twitter (and Youtube) clearly provided a platform for you to begin expressing yourself, it was the qualities within you that enabled you to form friendships, engage others, and stimulate reflection with your art. It was clear to me when you reached out to say hello and share your thoughts about my own work that YOU level the playing field. You see the people behind the expressions, and find ways to reach out from the screen. Very intuitive, you are. You said, Plumbers are like doctors - someday we all need one. It's this spirit that carries into your communication and touches others.
ReplyDeleteI was very touched to read your post - it resonates with what I teach in my third year university classes teaching qualitative methods. Typically scientists learn how to conduct research methods using distance as a way to ensure "objectivity" in their work. Qualitative researchers spend time trying to reduce interpersonal distance by cultivating and bringing "presence" to what we do (interviewing and analysis). You are a natural at it. The challenge, though, is that bringing 'presence' to the internet means that there is a great deal of time that we are not present to those whom we made commitments to. There are many folks on Twitter that wave the 'family is important' flag - but few of them can free themselves of this rhetoric and put words into action. (I work a great deal of my time in coffee shops and have witnessed many people on dates who spend more of their time looking at an iPOD than their date). I'm glad to read that there were not lasting negative effects of the time you devoted to the internet - it is common to read of marriage breakdown these days.
I like your musings, reflections and art work. I hope you'll continue to share these with us via a blog. I know that I'll look out for it. Cheers amigo. Paula Miceli @PelvicHlthPsych
Thanks Paula. The greatest lesson I've learned on twitter was that regardless of who we are or what we do, on some levels we are very unique in our own way, but for the most part, at least at a basic level, we are all the same. Something I suppose many of us already knew, I simply never actually witnessed it till I spent time on Twitter.
DeleteI hope to keep in touch.
Cheers buddy.
Ok I'm late to this game... (just read this today) but I finally understand why I have not seen anything from you on Twitter for a while :( I'll echo the others that have said Twitter won't be the same without your wit and insightful thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI certainly can't fault your reasons - absolutely family first! I'm just glad to have found your little parcel here so I can keep up with your endeavors - I'll be watching out on YouTube too.
Please do keep in touch (or not) and I wish you (and your entire family) Joy and happiness - because after all, that is the most important thing.
You bet Scott. I would love to keep in touch with you and your family. I tried calling a couple times last week. I suspect you're busy at work. I'll try again later next week.
DeleteCheers.
One month later. Yep. I miss your tweets. A lot. You can say so much in so few words. Like your photos do.
ReplyDeleteI was checking out some photos on the computer just now and came across the one of the Castle, the one I keep saying how much I love. You know which one I'm talking about. It's like I'm walking up to the castle on the road myself, or more realistically being pushed in my wheelchair up there. It's not like looking at it as a photo, not at all. It's like I'm actually there. (It appears to be taken from the same level as I would be on, like taken from my wheelchair. Hard to explain that.)
For the background on my computers (yes, computers) I have a series of beautiful National Geography landscape photographs and the Castle is in there too. I did not intentionally include it. It happened to be on my desktop and not in a folder. When I see a picture I like I do the 'dragon drop' to my desktop. Then every so often I go and put them in different folders. I always name the ones from twitter and such with caption person gave, their name, twitter name & date taken/posted. Some how the castle was put in the NatGeo folder. It doesn't look out of place at all, not one bit. It looks like it belongs in that group of photos, 100%. That photo was the current background picture one day. I cleared off the desktop and sat there admiring the photo, wondering where it was, at the richness of the colors, the way it was positioned, all those things that go through my brain when looking at a picture that gets my attention. Would you believe it took me a bit to realize it was yours?? Yeah! For real! Then suddenly it was OMG!! That's Jaeson's Photo from Scotland!
Yep. I miss your tweets. I miss the photos you'd tweet. I miss the things you'd say, the honesty in your comments, your time lapse videos that would always get me going - - 'Hey! Husband! Come look at this! It's another Jaeson video! You gota see this! Check it out! Ain't that so cool? :)'
There's a huge hole in the Twitter world now. I at least have the memories of your tweets that got laughing, thinking, and admiring some of the most beautiful photos and unique videos I've ever seen. :)
Thanks Anne. There are days when I occasionally peek in to see how everyone is doing. I won't go back though. It's a slippery slope. For the sake of my family. I should give you two a shout. I'll give you a call later today or tomorrow possibly. Cheers. :)
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