Friday, January 21, 2011

Why I LOVE Facebook

31. Have lunch with an old friend and catch up

When I first got on Facebook I had absolutely NO IDEA what I was getting myself into.  I don't even remember why I got on it in the first place. I think it had something to do with collecting flair.  I became friends with people who I saw regularly in "real life."  We shared "drinks", "poked" each other, and played online games.  Then the craziest thing happened- I began finding people on Facebook that I hadn't seen in years.

A friend request from a college roommate......a high school teammate......a next door neighbor from second grade- they were all right there on my computer!  You couldn't pull me away from all these profiles.  My college roommate has kids that look just like her, my soccer teammate from high school still plays in the area, my neighbor from second grade married her high school sweetheart and has adorable kids.  You can learn so much about everyone, just from clicking the mouse.

So many of these "connections" were followed by email exchanges filled with what we had been doing for the last twenty years.  It was so fun to reconnect with people and find out what their lives had turned out like. These people are brought back into my life, and now people that I haven't seen in twenty years know on a daily basis who won my kids' soccer game, or where I had lunch.  I, in turn, know who has recently had a baby, or who now has a pie obsession (you know who you are :).  This big old world has gotten much smaller.

However, the biggest reason that I love Facebook, is that it reminds me so often of why I was friends with someone in the first place.  I remember the sense of humor that my friend Stephanie has.  I get to share in my friend Darby's photography talent.  I get to know some of these people a little bit deeper than I may have in the past.   And then when I find someone I know and love on Facebook, I can actually catch up to them in REAL LIFE.

My friend Chelle suggested I have lunch with an old friend as one thing on my bucket list.  Chelle, I am totally taking you personally up on that.  In the meantime I have caught up with others that I have once let slip out of my life.  Just yesterday I had coffee with 2 dear friends whose ten year olds were in the same infant playgroup with mine.  Last night I had an amazing dinner with one of my friends from Clemson who was in town for business.  If we hadn't reconnected on Facebook she never would have known where I lived and that she was going to be close to me.  Facebook has allowed me to coordinate reuinions that would not have been possible had I not "found" my friends online.  Some friends from college and I are doing the Warrior Dash together this year- brings me back to the "Scavenger Hunt" we all did back at Clemson, just 16 years later.

My friend that was in town, and my friends that are doing the Warrior Dash with me were all part of a special "club" at Clemson. I alluded to it when I posted a picture on Facebook last night.  Was anyone able to guess what it was??? I will put the pictures here, and see if you can figure it out....... FHB unite!!!

The original FHB Club............................


Eighteen years later...two of the "founding members :)  Any guesses?


And those of you who offered to help me out with some of my bucket list on Facebook realize that I am going to take you up on it.  Train to hike up Stone Mountain, prepare for that zipline.  Because if you don't show up, I am going to let everyone know on Facebook.

 And everyone you have known in the last 39 years will know about it :)

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