If I timed this correctly, my RT of this post will be a very fitting 23,000th tweet as LOST_****. I have to put **** because half of those tweets were as LOST_WFTB that I started shortly after the season five finale last year in my haitus long quest to group re-watch all the episodes of LOST before the ultimate season. The second half has been as LOST_BOSS, the nickname I took because of @LOSTer21’s calling me ‘boss’ after taking on the challenge of being editor-in-chief LOSTblog.com.
So here is a hail of bullets that are all “thanks" to LOST
- Community: Both in real life and on the internet I’ve had wonderful conversations about LOST, themes in LOST, characters in LOST, fun, serious and engaging relationships have been formed. I was a late-comer to the amazing LOST fan community and in this past year I’ve clearly only uncovered the tip of the iceberg, but LOSTies have been and will be a large and significant part of how I relate to people.
- Engagement: Beyond the normal experience of watching TV, LOST has engaged me in how I watch TV like no other show on TV. Its narrative has engaged me from the beginning, its footnotes and shoutouts have taught me, its easter eggs and visuals have blown my mind, and the relationships and characters have reminded me that I am not alone.
- Recovery: The past six years have been weird ones, my life has had it’s own ups and downs and rollercoaster twists and turns, but the adventures of this past year have been a huge curve in the redemption direction. The mirrored reflections of this past season have reminded me that I’m more than just the reflection of the person in the mirror, and I’m working hard to become that person that I see behind the eyes. Emotionally, relationally, physically and spiritually.
- 15 minutes of fame: Thanks to LOST, I’ve had a 15 minute experience with a petition to make a LOST themed Disney attraction. I was interviewed by several papers, had tweets from Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse and Jeff Jensen in support of an idea that I don’t claim as my own, just the person that ‘put that out there’, and at least 4815 other people think is a good idea. That was a great time, and I was blessed to be able to share that time with you.
- Social Media: When I started the WFTB re-watch last year, I started a new account with 0 followers. It grew to double digits fairly quickly, and I thought that was good, a nice small niche community of friends to enjoy a re-watch with. Then it kept on growing and growing. Now I have 1425 followers, and follow over 1500. I have two LOST lists that I keep adding to of people that love LOST. Thanks to LOST I also connected with other fandoms, the BONES fan girls, the TWONES (Twitter Bones) cast, Warehouse 13, Fringe, Heroes, the list goes on. Thanks to LOST blog, there is a fan page with over 400 fans of the blog that I’m blessed to oversee, though the real work is done by my good friends.
- Good Friends: Not just in real life, but so many, too many to list. The people that have joined LOSTblog to assist with our mission to keep the LOST fan community burning bright include: Erin (@Loster21), Tom (@tomwilson23), Tina (@lostdogs20), Scott (@scott_welch), Neil (@atruereview), Cath (@cathryanhoward), Erin (@erinava), Blyth Ann (@roobadoo87), Amy (@aohora) … Also engaging people with their own blogs, podcasts, twitterfeeds that encourage and enlighten me daily.
I’m sure there are many things that I’m missing, so keep tabs on the #ThanksToLOST tag today and see where other people fill in the gaps, and I tag on to things I’ve missed here.
Thanks to LOST and all the Cast, Crew, Creative Team of the most awesome hour of television, like EVER.
Thanks to LOST, the journey doesn’t end on Sunday… in many ways it’s just beginning.
