It’s a Little too Easy Finding Old Friends or Co-workers On-Line

Many of my friends have recently joined Facebook as a way of staying connected and to share photos and activities of all the families.

The upside is that it allow us to stay connected and in contact with friends who’ve moved away or with those we just don’t get to spend as much time with as we’d like.

The downside, though, is that even if you have a rusty account on a social networking site, friends from long, long ago can find you. And I’m not sure how I like this. A former friend from my first job out of high school–back in the Dark Ages–recently sent me a card at my home address. She found me on an account I rarely use, on a job-related networking site, although I have yet to respond to her invite to add her as a friend.

I don’t know what we would have in common now, other than talking about what we did in the Dark Ages and trying to catch up on 20 years. But it could be a surprise as we reveal how each of us has changed.

On the other hand, I remember having a huge crush on a gorgeous, older guy back in high school. He was tall, blue-eyed, and handsome. I was a freshmen; he was a senior. I had zero chance of him ever falling in love with me and was unsure whether he even knew my name. And then, years later, while I was finishing up my college degree, he suddenly was in my line at the bookstore. As I rang up the textbooks and took his credit card, I thought there was no way this could be the same Prince Charming from high school. His hair was too thin, his chiseled face had become rounder, and he actually had the start of a beer gut. My dreams were shattered.

Sometimes old friendships are just that. A place in time, a friendship for that particular time, but they don’t necessarily need to be recaptured again.

photo credit: la fattina