You like... what exactly?

"A Mermaid"
John William Waterhouse, 1901
Oil on Canvas
http://www.jwwaterhouse.com/view.cfm?recordid=30

In my very first blog entry, I listed mermaids as being among my wide variety of  interests.  This sometimes raises questions for people, and it does not exactly make for party conversation most of the time.  The usual reaction that I get from people is indistinguishable from the one that I would imagine receiving upon telling them of a third arm.

As a matter of clarification, I am speaking in terms of human women who don mermaid tails.  There are also a growing number of mermen, but my familiarity with them is limited at best.  Because of this, I have had people challenge my moral integrity on the matter, suggesting that my interest is limited to seashell bikini tops.  I mention that only to acknowledge the question and do not wish to dignify it beyond that.

This for me is a matter of belonging to a community that spans the globe, interacting enthusiastically with over 150 participants hailing from countries such as Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the special administrative region of Hong Kong, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and, of course, the United States.  It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to become friends with over fifty of these fascinating people.

The people with whom I engage write about topics such as animal rights, conservation, entertaining at parties for children and/ or adults, healthy diet, the history and the few remaining present-day examples of aquatic-themed bars and lounges, the International Whaling Commission, recycling, tail making, water safety and so very much more.  Sometimes, they just want to talk about swimming, and that's perfectly fine too.

It has been such a rewarding experience for me to get to know people from the mermaid community, and I have taken many of their lessons to heart, changing some of my own behaviors and correspondingly doing my best to impact the actions of others.  In the end, this is just a matter of how these individuals express their interests. Some people reach the masses through authorship or in song, others through painting or acting.  My friends in the mermaid community collectively do all of that in their own stylized way.

Do you have interests from a niche community that you would like to share with me?