It’s easy to make new friends on facebook, or twitter, or pinterest, or instagram, isn’t it? Friend requests come flowing in and I think–wow, if they lived next door, would they really want to be my friend? ! 🙂 Since I have neighbors who seem terribly uninterested in striking up a friendship with me or my boisterous family, I’m thinking the distance of my computer to yours has a lot to do with the courage folks seem to have in seeking out new people to correspond with…
Over the years, especially through the online work I do with Conciliar Press and other writers, I’ve made lots of real friends that I’ve never actually met in person. These people are dear to me, and if we ever have the chance to meet face-to-face there will be shouts and hugs and much admiring that other three-dimensional being.
But the other online state of friendship has more to do with pithy comments and pressing little hearts as likes. It’s just a bit of fun, and if I happened upon some of these folks on the street I might not know what to do with them! 🙂
All this to say, I’m proud of Nicole, and pretty pleased with myself, too, that the two of us decided to meet and say hello. We were introduced via facebook through a mutual friend–and there wasn’t really any pressing reason for us to strike up a friendship, except that we’re both part of the dying breed of redheads 🙂 And we both like books, and chocolate. (Okay, those three things might be enough!)
No matter how it happened. I mixed and molded. I baked and hip hopped across town, a loaf of warm sourdough filling the car with an almost edible odor. We sat, and chatted, and I admired her curls, and she talked about her work as a librarian… It was lovely.
Here’s to Nicole, and hopefully many future gatherings where books are at the forefront of the conversation!
The Woman and the Wheat 
It is always fun to meet “new” friends! I hope you’ll be able to see each other often 🙂
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How fun! It seems harder and harder to meet new people with common interests “in person”. And I’m kinda skeptical about meeting people I have only interacted with online. Having a common friend seems to be a good bridge.
Jane, would you (and Nicole) like to come to (in)RL which is a bloggers conference in many locations, one of which will be my home (giveaways and chocolate guaranteed) on April 27! You can officially sign up or just let me know you’ll come. Bread is always welcome too! I made coconut milk bread yesterday (coconut milk, flour, salt, yeast, and gluten since I popped it in the bread machine while out with Ravinia at orchestra practice).