It’s a good feeling knowing other people not only care about you, but think you matter. But it’s not because anyone ever says it. They don’t need to. It’s in the way they talk to and interact with you.

In my 25 (nearly 26) years on this spinning cosmic rock, I’ve had the pleasure of knowing many wonderful people by way of childhood, school, work and otherwise. Not all of us have stayed in touch over the years, and sometimes that’s disappointing.

But I have to say, for all the complaints we issue at social media, it’s been a great tool in helping to stay in touch with people I might have otherwise been disconnected from. And beyond that, it’s actually helped me to meet new people and build stronger connections with people I already knew.

As an aside, I have to say that geeks are some of my favorite people. When my friend Matt and I were at the Godzilla premiere last week, we were talking with complete, total strangers in the time leading up to the previews. From Godzilla (of course) to Batman, and video games to anime, the moviegoers in front of and behind us — ages 14 to 35 (that’s a guess) — were friendly and eager to talk about any and all things geeky, as if we’d known each other long before entering that dark theater.

More to the point, it’s just refreshing to make the cognizant realization that the hateful, ignorant vitriol you read in public comments sections and hear on national news hasn’t permeated into every facet of our lives. It’s wonderful to know that people can still treat each other with warmth and humanity, regardless of how long they’ve known one another.

I guess this is just my way of saying I love my friends, family and strangers who treat each other with kindness.