I’ve been thinking.

God, you are in for a treat.

I find it funny how things coagulate in my life. Yeah, coagulate.

How something over here is going on, and something over there happens not knowing about the something over here. Yet they are somehow interconnected. And it gets me musing.

Recently, someone mentioned and differentiated between ‘Internet friends’ and ‘real life’ friends. I think they find it ‘odd’ that I regard people on the Internet that I have never met as close friends.

I have not responded to them as I am unable to. I am unable to find the words.

Instead, I questioned what a friendship is/is not, how they function etc.

Whilst musing and pondering, coagulation occurred.

I did my Smiley Saturday and Anja and Bettina responded in regard to how quickly the Wee Green One (WGO) is growing. Which gave me memories of that period of time.

I had just left a church after 14 years. We left with one family talking to us. Not because we had a falling out, but because when you leave that church, people stop talking to you. Simple as that.

Since most of our life had centred around that church, it left us with very few friends. This is where Anja and Mistress B were my rocks. Well, it wasn’t just them back then. There was ‘Winn’ (Cassie) and ‘The Fish’ (Sandra) Out of the five of us, I had only met The Fish, as she lived 2 hours from me. We met after about 2 years of e-mailing. The other 3 were overseas. We called ourselves ‘the Loop.’ (I sometimes think loopy would have been more appropriate, lol)

We met through the MSN chat rooms. When they closed, we continued our friendship. I met numerous people this way, but all have slowly dwindled away, for no real reason, apart from Anja, Bettina and Cassie (my ABC, lol)

It’s funny how behind pseudonyms, people share the most intimate of secrets. These people knew things about me that people in ‘real life’ didn’t. Why was that? Why did I find comfort and security with strangers yet those around me seemed so far away? Did I create that? Was it convenient?

With kids in bed asleep, dishes done, it was easy to post a comment here and there without having to spend the time one does with friends in ‘real life.’ You could stop and see to the washing, the children, the dirty nappy, pop out and do the shopping knowing that you could pick up where you left off later. You didn’t have to ‘book a time’ when you would be free. If you were there, you were there, if not, not, no big deal.

I can not explain the connection I have with those I have never met, but only talked to on the phone.

I can not explain why it is not important to me that I have not seen a recent photo of people I have had a 5 year relationship with.

I can not explain why I consider these friends as real as my neighbours.

I can not explain why in conversation, I will mention, well my friend B, or A said the funniest thing last week, and regale stories that have been e-mailed to me.

I can not explain that when I pick up the phone and talk to either any of my ABC, there is no awkwardness, just two friends who conduct their friendship a little different to the norm.

Or is it that different?

With the wonderful worldwide web, is it all the more common to have these kind of friendships?

Are they just as ‘real’ as real life ones? Or moreso or less so?

I do not call the people I have met online ‘Internet friends’, just friends. They are as real as anything else to me.

And I base our friendships as I do the people I see face to face.

Same rules apply.

And I consider myself lucky to have met such a diverse range of people, most of whom I would never have met otherwise.