Old Friends

I joined Facebook in January or February of this year. I had always thought it was a tool focused more on the social needs of the young, so hadn't paid it much attention. Then I read an article on slate.com that went through all the reasons why you should join FB and effectively debunked all the preconceived notions I had about it. I thought then I'd give it a try.

Well, I'm glad I did join it. I have reconnected with old friends from high school and college as well as friends from even earlier in my youth. It's helped me find people whose whereabouts I did not know, so without a tool like FB, I'd probably never have found them.

It also gives an easy way to keep up with work colleagues I consider friends and friends from prior jobs. I found out an old friend had adopted a second child, saw baby pictures from a work colleague's new addition right away and got to see some nieces and nephews all grown up (that I haven't seen in person in a decade).

With MS in our lives, we have become increasingly isolated over the years. We're quite the homebodies and don't get out all that often. And, I must confess I'm not the best at keeping up my side of friendships. FB gives me some connections to friends, both old and new, that would be much harder to handle if done entirely by email, phone and in-person visits.

The best thing to come out of FB to date is a connection with a friends from my high school days whom I haven't seen in over 30 years. She lives in Salt Lake City now but is now back in Massachusetts to visit her parents and siblings who are still here in this area. (Did I mention before that I live in the house I grew up in, so I am still here, too!) Tonight, we are taking her out to dinner. I am so excited at the prospect of reconnecting with her!