Twitter Tai Chi

Just started Week #2 of learning tai chi. It’s stretching me both physically and mentally, while teaching me the value of flow. And weirdly, it seems to parallel how I use Twitter.

Tai chi, as I understand it so far, is a Chinese martial art in which you flow through a series of elegant movements with a group that encourages you to yield and shift even as you express mastery. I’m still learning the choreography, so mastery is a long ways away. But the elegance of the flow intrigues me. You repeat the same fluid motions, over and over, yet each is a new discovery of perception and unity. You’re moving alone, but are also one with those around you, flowing together in a pattern of grace.

You know, like Twitter.

My Twitter Tai Chi

Preparation
Throughout the day, I glance through the amazing tweets of those I follow, hovering over the “favorite” button and marking things I want to read later. I generally accumulate thirty to forty tweets this way. Then, at the appointed hour (mmm, lunch), I open up those favorites and flow down the list.

Discovery
First, I watch all the funny videos I’ve marked. You might call this the “discovery” phase, like in tai chi, in which I see what kind of mood I’m in and what’s tickling my fancy. It separates me from the “work” part of the morning and settles me into the Twitter zone.

Expansion
Then I focus on a “walking drill,” reading the tweets that are hard news, about international conflicts, or climate change, or political issues. These widen my perspective, taking me around the world and keeping me informed.

Connecting
Next is the “first set” portion (just the first one, because I’m new), wherein myself and my fellow tai-chi-ers move through the classic motions together, connecting with our peripheral vision and matching each other as we yield and shift. On Twitter, I feel this when flowing through the wealth of expert advice from writer/editor colleagues and friends. I love this part of the day, when I see what’s on everyone’s mind and I plan what I will share back, usually through Tweetdeck so I can schedule my retweets for throughout the next day.

Repeat
Once I’ve filled the queue with the next day’s tweets, I close out Tweetdeck and go back to the stream, picking out favorites again and silently acknowledging what fun I’m having.

So… what’s your Twitter Tai Chi? (Or are you of the Facebook tradition?)

Tagged as: SocMed, Twitter