Connecting and Reconnecting...Just do it!

The other day I reconnected with a High school friend who I had not seen in close to 25 years. We went for coffee one morning and had so much to visit about that we continued our conversation over lunch. As I said we knew each other from High School, she was a senior when I was a junior. We weren't best friends, but we were friends and we had many friends in common. We worked for the same employer during our college summers, got to know each other and then lost touch, as most of us do after high school or college. The only time you would usually reconnect  with HS friends is at a class reunion which I hadn't attended. I didnt want my classmates to know I was gay, thats another blog in itself...

Two or three years ago my neice Stephanie, who I raised since age 13, and is now 30, tried to convince me on a weekly basis to join this internet site called Facebook. She told me it was the "coolest thing you have ever seen".. She explained to me that you can get in touch with anybody, as long as they have a "page" on Facebook.  Me being 42, and not fully understanding this Facebook thing or anything elase about social media, I declined.Who the heck do I need to get in touch with, I thought to myself . It seemed like a bunch of work. Besides, I was on my laptop for work 10 plus hours a day, 7 days a week and really didnt want to spend anymore time on it. She then told me about who she was "friends" with on this site. She started spewing these names and they were people who we both knew from our hometome, many were old friends who both of us hadn't heard from for a few years. I was kind of intrigued by this as it brought back many memories and made me wonder how they all were. A few weeks later when I was at Stephs home in Olathe, she brought her  laptop over to me and showed me pictures of our friends new baby. The crazy thing was-,I had no idea that this couple was expecting. I felt ridiculously bad that I hadn't talked to these people that I used to call friends in over two years!!
She then pointed out that she had connected and reconnected with over 100 people in just a few weeks on this Facebook site. She had connected with co-workers, extended family, people who were in her wedding and several others that she had gone to High School and College with.

What kind of a friend was I, I thought to myself? These are people who I had broken bread with several times, spent many weekends going out partying with when we were younger and finally, a couple who I watched date, get engaged and then exchange wedding vows. What was I going to say when I called to congratulate them?
I finally got the courage to call. I told them how much I sucked as a friend for not staying in touch and I saw that they had a new member of their family on Stephs Facebook. They were so glad to hear from me, it was like our friendship hadn't skipped a beat, I was so relieved!  We promised that we would stay in touch and not go years without talking ever again.
After that conversation I got to thinking what other friends of  mine could have had kids or other major events in their lives that I had NO idea about? What  was I missing out on? I called Steph and told her I wanted to do this facebook thing. I asked her if she would get me started. A week later I did it, I joined  Facebook.

In the 2 years I have been on Facebook I have connected or reconnected with over 300 people. Pretty embarrassing  for someone who didn't know who he wanted to connect with....
This blog ends with what I started it with,,.. My High school friend who I hadn't seen in 25 years  found me on facebook. She asked to become my friend and we exchanged pleasantries, how are you doing, tell me about your family, what are you doing now?  It was a great catch up session.  A week or so later we chatted on  the Instant Messaging. feature..to both of our surprise--WE WERE NEIGHBORS!! She lived 2 doors from me, just around the corner! I was shocked and so was she. Note to self- when new neighbors move in, go say hello!

If you have not utilized a social networking site like Facebook, you have no idea what you are missing out on!. There are many people for you to connect with and that want to cnnect with you. I dont know what I would do without it.  If they took Facebook off line, I would have withdrawls!  I check my account at least 4-5 times per day. I actually heard the other day that kids 14-21 check their accounts 20 times per day on average.It truly is addicting and a great way to reconnect and stay connected with everyone you want in your life.

So just  "DO IT"...Join a social networking site- reconnect with friends you haven't seen or spoken with  for years, whatever the reason, its never to late to reconnect! You will love it!
You never know, you just might find that a neighbor is a long lost friend!