Why I love social media and Channing Tatum -

Sometimes the Internet sucks.

But sometimes? Sometimes it’s incredibly awesome.

Case in point. My grandmother turns 90 in a few short weeks. My mom, sister and I have been planning all sorts of fun things for her birthday – fancy dinner, fun presents, videos and more.

Today I said jokingly, “wouldn’t it be awesome if we could get Channing Tatum to send her a card?”

Yes, my 90 year old grandmother loves Channing Tatum. And the thing that’s awesome is that it’s not in a silly “school girl crush” kind of way. She legitimately admires his acting skills and has since he first leapt upon the silver screen in Step Up. In fact, she is such a fan that when he received a unfavorable write-up in the Washington Post for The Vow, she called the critic personally to discuss the review.

My grandmother could have been a Broadway star. She studied acting in the early/mid 40’s and attended the Yale Drama School summer program. But my grandfather was in the Navy, so instead of finishing college, she married him and followed him from base to base. She’s had a wonderful life, full of love and adventure. And even though she didn’t get to fulfill her acting dreams, it is still very much a part of who she is.

So back to Channing and the Internet…

When I made my statement, my mom’s face lit up. Too bad we didn’t think of this sooner. I’m sure we could have reached out to his fan club or something. But just like the White House (yes we botched that one too), they probably need at least six weeks lead time.

Wait a minute. I know people. I know a whole Internet’s worth of people. Thanks to my job I interact with hundreds of awesome people every day. Surely someone knows someone who could help us.

A few Facebook posts later and I had a Twitter handle and an email for people that might be able to connect me in some way to Channing.

Conversations are happening. Ideas are flowing. All because of the Internet.

It’s not a guarantee. I’d say we probably have a 40/60 chance of seeing this wish to fruition.

But a chance is all you need. A chance is more than I had a few hours ago.

Thanks Internet. This is why I totally love you.