I am contemplating whether I really have any friends anymore. Real friends
that is.

Don't get me wrong, I will always have those couple of lifelong friends that
will always be around no matter what. No matter how many months I go without
speaking to them. And no matter how busy or hectic either one of our lives
become.

But I have noticed anymore when I am talking to my husband, I am constantly
starting my stories with "my friend said the other day" or "I was talking
to 'so and so' today" The truth is, I probably haven't had a true
conversation on the telephone with a friend in years. And well as far as
person to person conversation goes, I am lucky to meet up with a friend for
lunch or the like once a month.

So where do all these conversations take place? The internet.

And sadly enough. Most of them aren't even one-on-one conversations. They
are updated Facebook statuses that I have somehow classified as real
communication between myself and others.

Even though I may say "my friend said"  it can oftentimes mean "my friend
typed publicly on the internet" And when I say "I was talking to 'so and
so'" it usually means "I received a Facebook message from 'so and so' I
have not literally talked to anyone.

In the real world, I maybe talk to two friends and not even on a regular
basis. I barely know what they are up to half the time.

My true friends anymore are practically my husband, my boys, my sister, my
parents and my in-laws. And although they really are the most reliable
people in my life, they should be classified as "family." I need people in
the friend category, that do not come from the same genes or have the same
last name.

Online I look pretty sociable. I think I am over 800 friends on Facebook
granted there are many of you readers out there that know me, and I do not
know you. I may know 200 or so on a personal level, meaning I either went to
school with them or have actually talked to them in person somewhere along
the way. The others well they are clients, readers, friends of friends, or
what happens often in a small town just someone who lives in the county. I
am still a "newbie" here and although everyone may know me, I am still
trying to keep up.

I still have my husband beat though I think. Even after growing up here his
entire life I seem to know more people and know more about what is going on
here than him.

In fact, when his 10 year reunion rolls around this summer I am sure to have
more people know my name than his and that's without a name tag. My once
social butterfly personality from high school and the college sorority years
may be long gone, but I am still "in the know."

Being a full-time mom, in the boondocks from where I grew up, may have put a
damper in my lunch and shopping dates with my friends in town but I am
having all kinds of fun with my new friends on the internet that live just
down the road. Now if only I could actually say that we hang out off-line.

Here's to friendship!