Julaver: Gotta Give It to Facebook on this One

Let’s just get that wah-wah whiny complainy business off the front lines, shall we?

Once upon a time, when the Internet was but a preschooler (you know, just discovering its potential while still being a complete pain in the tuckus), I was a young, unattached, recent college graduate with a lot of time to kill. I hadn’t yet become the sophisticated, mind-broadened adult (ahem) I am today, so my interests and Yahoo searches were limited, so I usually ended up perusing message board for TV shows, particularly soap operas (like I said, LOT of time on my hands). I wasn’t then, and still am not exactly what you would call an avid poster/commenter (I get hives over the possible verbal diarrhea), but for some reason, I read a comment that made me decide to respond. As I recall, it had something to do with one of our favorite star-crossed couples at the time or some such triviality (give me a break – early 20s, remember?). Anyway, so began my correspondence with Sarah, a college student halfway across the country who happened to share my love of the sappily romantic. E-mailing was still spastic and complicated, so we took to sending old-fashion letter through the mail. I know. How Pony Express of us. I’d type out (hey, I may be old fashioned, but I’m also impatient) several pages about what was going on for me in a given week (plus bonus commentary on the shows we were both watching), and the next week, I’d get one in return.

We shared a lot of common interests, came from very close families. For a random shot in the dark at meeting someone over a computer, I’d somehow managed to someone a lot like myself. Someone who could be a friend.

I flew out to visit her for a weekend, and we had such a good time walking around, checking out museums, restaurants, and some mighty fine shopping, that by the end, I could hardly stand on my very sore feet (lesson learned – tennis shoes for vacation exploring). But it was all worth it. Any time my job took me near her area, I’d make sure to get together with her and we always had a blast. I cheered her through college graduation, moving away from home, starting grad school, and dozens of life events in between, as she did for me. But time does what it does, I changed jobs and didn’t travel anymore, we both got busy with work and other nonsense like marriage and kids. We e–mailed occasionally, since there was never enough time anymore for 1200 word missives, and slowly we lost touch. But I never forgot about her, and at least remembered to send Christmas cards.

Then I joined the 21^st century and signed up for Facebook. And I found Sarah again. Say what you will about Facebook – I certainly do, so don’t get me started on what to do with your farm, OK –but the opportunities it find people you’ve lost through general busyness over the year is pretty darn cool. It’s like your own personal private investigator (sure, you could use in to stalk ex-boyfriends and former BFFs, but that’s between you and your own personal therapist).

It’s been more years than I care to remember (or state in writing), but today we got to see each other in person. She met my little tornado of a girl and we got to gab with our voices like we used to do through the mail (much faster response time – thumbs up). It wasn’t a long visit, but it was a long timing coming. So great to see you, Sarah. Let’s do it again, sooner.