I like Facebook. I’ve been enjoying the little news feed from my “friends”. Connecting with high school and college friends I haven’t seen in forever. I even found my year in my high school’s reunion page.
Not surprisingly few of my friends from high school and college are anywhere near the stage of life I am. Some are wrapped up in religion or the American Dream or their quiet family lives. Connections with them are short explorations of “Oh… that’s nice.” After that the contact is fleeting at best.
Because we have little in common. There is one happy exception to this. My friend Melody from college is my age and enjoying her sexuality. Course she’s in Iowa so her lifestyle isn’t as wildly fun as mine! But she’s enjoying her single status. And that’s what we have in common. I’ve been begging her to come out here and play with me!
Since my blogging fulfills my need to announce to the world what I’m thinking, feeling and doing, I don’t post very much on my Facebook page. Little anecdotes or thoughts that occur to me. But its fun to add a humorous comment to someone else’s post.
Even more fun is Friending my favorite authors or bands. Getting little blurbs from them is very much worth it. Better than bookmarking a web page certainly! I love the news I get from my radio station! (Of course, realizing how effective this is means I’m going to have to create a Facebook account for my work AND maintain it! Sheesh!)
I don’t have many Facebook friends. I’m a little particular about who I accept as a friend and I don’t play the Facebook games so I haven’t racked up many friends through that. I’m sure every friend I have is happy about THAT so they won’t get the little notices about how many lambs/foals/radishes I earned that day from Farmville!
Today I noticed a guy from high school comment on my high school’s reunion page. It was one of the few popular people I remember interacting with a little. I know MOST who know me now will not believe this, but I was very unpopular and shy in high school. I came into myself in college mostly.
Yet by our age all those social lines from high school should be eliminated. We’re adults now, grown ups. There are no more clicks.
Or so I thought!
Like I said, I noticed a guy from high school who I’d had several classes with, spoke to occasionally and had always found attractive. I checked his profile and was amazed. He looked very much like he did then, only shorter grayer hair and listed his status as single! So I sent a friend request. And he replied, “Do I know you? Not trying to be mean… blah, blah.” I replied with what I remembered of him from high school, where I saw his Facebook profile and lightly said, I’d understand if you didn’t want to be friends. Because I honestly didn’t think he’d be that uptight about it.
And apparently I was wrong, as he’s not replied nor accepted my invite. I realized I was assuming that most people my age don’t get that wrapped up about who they deign to know as a friend or not. At least most I’ve met on Facebook don’t. The friends and acquaintances I’ve found on Facebook seem genuinely interested in saying, “Hi!” I certainly never expected to get snubbed like I was a nerd approaching a cool kid in the halls of the high school!
I suppose its me being naive. Or my ego thinking, “Boy if he only knew what he just blew!” But at my core I just think its sad. Every one of us is a human reaching out in different ways to connect to another. And just like in dating, when you get too picky over the little things, you miss fate/God’s opportunity for a connection. A connection that might have been important or good or at least a learned lesson you needed.
When I left high school I changed. I learned I liked people, liked meeting people and knowing people. I rarely shied away from a person because of looks, economic status, race or background. I… like… people. They’re better than television, video games or online anything. They just are.
So sometimes it baffles me when others don’t feel the same. But whatever, dude… your choice. But really… he doesn’t know what he’s missing!