Long Distance

I've got about 1400 friends on facebook.

That's pretty crazy.
But i'm a polar extrovert, so in that way, it's not too unusual.
I estimate that I've never met about 700 of them - that's half.
Of the remaining 700:
200 are former co-workers that I never see.
200 are from churches where I no longer attend.
150 are former classmates that I live nowhere near.
75 are current co-workers that I don't see on any regular basis.
50 are international or others I've met at conferences and never see.
10 are people I've met, but are at a distance enough that I never see them.
10 are family or friends at such a distance, I rarely see.
Leaving a handful of people that I actually ever see face to face.

(you know who you are)

So - what's the good thing about this? Oh - I'm so glad you asked! Long distance relationships are difficult. There's no hugs, handshakes, or friendly pats on the back. So... that's not it. There's got to be something...

2) Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Ok, I gotta give it up for this aphorism. It really does. When I hear from an old friend from long distance or if it's been a while, the heart swells. The joy is glorious! That's not to say I don't like hearing from people on a regular basis. People are my crack.

3) Real friends. Really? Really? Real friends? I say yes. I know most of the people I know don't live within 100 miles from me, and most don't ever want to go to a Cubs game with me. (I maintain that's a Cubs issue, and not a me issue) But, I've learned how people can really be there for you from far away. Some people are better at this than others, but at the end of the day, I have genuine feelings for these long distance real friends.

1) A whole world of impact and influence. As it turns out I am touched by and have the opportunity to touch the lives of people on every continent (except Antartica - fingers crossed) and see so many different ways of life, priorities, points of view and ways of communicating that my mind struggles to take it all in and fully appreciate it. It's great!

All that to say, yes, I would like to see more people more of the time, but I really am pretty happy with what I've got, and that's good too.

(and you know who you are)