Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Friends, revisted

A few months ago, I posted a blog post about the types of friends in this world, as I see it. Recently, the issue of friends has once again been weighing on mind for various reaason. Now, when I posted this originally in Feburary, there were some unforeseen repercussions. I know that I very well risk repercussions again after this post, I think this is important enough to repost. I ask that as you read this, please think not about your friends, but yourself, and the type of friend you are.

Lately, I have been thinking about friends quite a bit. And as I was thinking, it dawned on me that friends can be divided into three categories- Real, Virtual, and Imaginary. Of course, you're probably wondering what the heck I am talking about. Let me explain--

Real friends- These are people that are a friend through and through. They stick by you when the times are bad, they don't expect you to act perfect, they make sure you're OK when you aren't yourself. Real friends are a true find- when you find one (or many) you need to keep them.

Virtual friends- This is my term for the people that you meet online, that you haven't met in person. Many of us have lots of virtual friends- we know them online, and we may know a lot about them- but chances are, we wouldn't recognize them if they were behind us in a supermarket line.

Imaginary friends- These are people that can be either Real or Virtual friends, but what makes them imaginary is that they disappear. They may disappear from your life after a few days, or a few years. But, when things get tough or change, they don't stick around. You always won't know a friend is Imaginary- sometimes you think they're Real until they're gone.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have learned a lot about friends. I learned that, sometimes, when you meet Virtual friends, they instantly can become Real friends. And, I learned the hard way, that people you think are Real friends, are actually only Imaginary.

I was recently with a group of people who started out as Virtual friends- but what was amazing to me was how quickly we all became Real friends. And I miss each and everyone of them everyday. (And yes, I do think Virtual friends can be Real friends without ever meeting in person...)

Real friends are hard to find- and when you do find a Real friend, make sure that you are a Real friend to them, and that you keep them in your life in whatever way works for you.

4 comments:

  1. Aw, Jen - you did it again! Beautiful post, and anyone who is offended needs to work on a sense of humor. Miss ya, gal!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Jen, you know how I feel about friends! I'm so lucky to have found a virtual and REAL friend in you! You are a fabulous person, and I absolutely can not wait until August!!! I love this post, and you are so right! Love ya girl! Lea

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent Blog Post Jennifer. I loved how you categorized & defined the different friendships. It's so very different in how one makes friends these days compared to when I was a young teenager. There was no such thing as a "Virtual Friend" back then. Online social media has added this new dimension in a most profound way. Is there another dimension waiting in the future? signed by: the4orce22 on Twitter

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm not afraid to say that many of my friends are virtual. Whats cool is that I have met many of them recently and they will be lifelong friends! But even my virtual friends may fit into that category even if I don't meet them. I am looking forward to meeting many of them soon!

    ReplyDelete