#SOL16 The 4000th follower...

It seems the old adage (sort of) is true: A watched Twitter feed will not hit 4,000 followers.

 I have 3,997 followers on Twitter...no wait, down to 3,995. Now back to 3,996. 

 Normally, I pay very little attention to the number of "followers" I have on Twitter. For a long time, Twitter used to freeze my requests to follow people because I was following way more people than were following me. But, when the numbers get close to hitting a new milestone, I get a surge of satisfaction to see a nice, round number. 500. 1000. And so on. 

 The other day, I couldn't believe that I was approaching 4,000 people following me on Twitter. And so I've kept my eye on it, waiting for the magic moment that 4,000 would appear. 

 But, to my dismay, the number keeps going down...then up one...then down again. I'm floating in the 3,990-3,998 zone and I can't help but wonder why some people followed me only to unfollow me? While I know it's ridiculous, I feel slightly stung at the rejection. I'm sure these number fluctuate all the time- I'm just not paying attention. But as I check on the number now and then, when 3,997 goes down to 3,995 I wonder why two people out there suddenly split.

 As always, a book to the rescue. Megan, my precocious 3 ("And a half!" she would add) year old, requested Giraffes Can't Dance, proclaiming it her "favorite." In this book, Gerald the Giraffe is worried about his dancing ability. His fears are confirmed when all the animals mercilessly make fun of him. He runs off, ashamed and sad, until he meets a cricket who plays a beautiful tune that inspires Gerald. Alone, Gerald feels the music and dances like no one is watching, no longer worried about impressing anyone, just enjoying the feeling of lifting his hooves to the tune. Of course, the animals do see him dance and are taken with how confident and happy he is dancing.

 The moral: Dance like no one's watching. Tweet like no one's following. Do what is in your heart and feels right- don't worry about making an impression (or gaining a few followers to hit 4,000). If all the "followers" were gone tomorrow, would I still tweet? Absolutely. 

 But, hey, if you know a few people who might be interested in following someone new on Twitter, send them to @MrsSokolowski. 

 :) 

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