<a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/3029528819_09ac4307dd_m.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-163" title="3029528819_09ac4307dd_m" src="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/3029528819_09ac4307dd_m.jpg" alt="" width="364" height="241" /></a>
<h5 style="padding-left: 240px;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/mjhoy/">Michael Hoy</a></h5>
For people who don't get <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>, or who are simply determined to prove how pointless it is, the quintessential argument against it tends to be this: "Why would anyone care what you're having for lunch?"

These people imagine Twitter as the checked off version of a meaningless, mundane to-do list, something along the lines of this:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Eating bowl of soup, then washing dishes."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Sorting through junk mail before watching TV."</p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;">"Taking a break from work to use the bathroom."</p>
<strong>Many Twitter loyalists have put a lot of energy into proving that Twitter is much more than that. And it is.</strong>

Twitter is where I tend to first hear breaking national and international news. People on Twitter help other people get jobs. They share advice and recommendations, they make you think about important issues in new ways, and they raise awareness and funds for social causes. I've even seen notices for missing children and calls for kidney transplant donors on Twitter.

I'm here to tell you: It <em>is</em> a meaningful and useful form of social media.
<h3>But I must confess.</h3>
About an hour ago, I did, in fact, share with my Twitter followers what I was having for lunch:
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em><span class="entry-content"> loving the classic at-home lunch: turkey &amp; swiss on rye, chips and a clementine. coffee &amp; ginger snaps are next.</span></em></p>
Afterward, I thought about what it means to share something so basic and everyday, and why I would even bother (especially if I lose followers who are much more SERIOUS about their tweets—it hasn't happened, that I know of, but I wouldn't be surprised if it did).

<strong>Off the top of my head, here's why I would bother to share what I'm eating for lunch:</strong>
<ul>
	<li>Everyone lives wildly different lives, in different places, but taking a break from our activities to eat is something essentially human that we have in common.</li>
	<li>While eating a mid-day meal is not surprising, <em>what</em> I eat—and where and with whom, and how bored or content it makes me feel—does say something about me (or at least something about the sort of day I'm having). The little details make the mundane come to life.</li>
	<li>We spend a lot of time and effort trying to be stunning, smart, productive and witty with each other, and in the process we often silence the many activities and thoughts that connect us, whether it's something very basic (like lunch) or very honest (like a worry or fear).</li>
	<li>Ambient awareness, a phenomenon I am very fond of (and <a href="http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/?p=65">wrote about here,</a> in relation to  bonding long-distance with my brother) simply doesn't happen unless you swirl a certain proportion of everyday details into the mix of more profound and witty observations.</li>
</ul>
<strong>So consider yourself warned: I will, from time to time, tell you what I'm having for lunch.</strong> By all means, please return the favor and share details of your lunch with me, when you feel so inclined. (On Twitter, I'm @kt_writes.)