Old Friends in Cyberspace

There are a hundred reasons not to get involved in most of the contemporary venues available on the internet. The most compelling reason is that it can become a terrible waste of time. Sometimes, it becomes addictive. My daughter and friends spend a lot of time texting, tweeting, facebooking, evite-ing and so forth. I think back to my 20's and try to remember what it would have been like to have that facility. I suppose because of time, when I think back to that era I would probably have found a use for being able to contact anyone on the planet at any given time of the day and let them know exactly what I thought of them, or, what I was doing at that instant. On the other hand, I'm not sure anyone, including me, would have cared.

Which brings me to Facebook. This docking station in Cyberspace interested me for purely business reasons, not to miss any chance for networking mind you, back last fall. After a few days, I just didn't see the profit in it. After some prodding by my friend, Jeff, I reactivated my account a couple of months ago. To my surprise and incredulity, I found several of my best buds from my youth. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with one of them, Phil Miller, for the first time in 35 years. It was two of the best hours I have spent in some time. It was also just like we'd seen each other last week. Some stories of course, one or the other has long repressed from memory. It's better for one's self-image. Other tales brought out laughter and warmth long forgotten.

Phil is now a minister, married to his high school sweetheart, Linda (36 years) with 3 children and umpteen grandchildren. He looked fit and healthy. We plan on getting together soon to let the wives meet. I may even go up to his church and sit on the back pew, making sound effects like we did in class in high school. How unnerving it will be to hear a coyote wail during the singing of "Bringing in the Sheaves". It will probably be the first time the deacons have ever had to eject a visitor from the sanctuary. I won't go quietly.

Another close friend from that time in my life, Paul Eifler, showed up on Facebook and we've had a telephone conversation and plan to get together soon. Paul, too, now has children and grandchildren, lives in lovely Hartwell, Georgia and is quite content. He is an HVAC contractor and we commiserated about the dearth of economic activity in home building. He survived two heart attacks and now lives a healthy lifestyle. I plan on getting those details from him at our meeting.

Then, Mike Thwaites, another close friend, popped up and we're making plans to get together soon to rehash the last 30 years. Mike practices law, has two grown children and is still married to his childhood sweetheart, Jennie.

Of course, there's always the part of the conversation when one or the other of you finds out that so-and-so died. Some of those so-and-so's were people we both cared about. Some were not mourned so deeply. They will, however, forever be 20-something in our memories, unlike ourselves, who now show the effects of aging and our rough and tumble youth.

With all of my complaining about the inane nature of some of the technological advances in communication, this has been one that has truly meant a world of difference to me. The only problem is that time has blurred the pictures of what people you knew looked like. Facebook suggests, from your information, people you might know and want to reconnect with. I sometimes stare at a picture and know that I recognize the face or name but can't remember the context. Those, for the sake of time, I skip. After all, that might be the one person I unintentionally injured emotionally at some point.

I must say that Facebook has been rewarding- not in the way I originally thought, but certainly in a way more important than hitting on an old friend for a job.