Online Friends

One of the best things about coming home from holidays and settling into the old familiar routines was that I now have a little more time again for one of my favourite past times, playing an online word game called Words with Friends.  And it's a good name for it, since some of the ladies I play with have become good friends of mine.

I play with as many as thirty players at a time and have become close with three of them.  Two live in Oregon and one in Alaska.  We chat on the message board that comes with the game and have found we have much in common.  I chat a little with most of my "wordie" friends but these three ladies have taken it to a much deeper level.

I have in the past cautioned clients about online relationships, especially when there is romance and commitment involved.  "You don't know until you actually meet the person if there will be a spark or not," I'd say.  And I'd still feel skeptical when these clients would insist they had found their soulmates and were very confident in the depth and intensity of the relationship.

And then my daughter found the love of her life on line!  Video chatting for months led her to believe she was in love with this man.  "What if everything really is perfect but when you meet him in person, he stinks?"  I was sincere in the question; video chat can't reveal everything!  Of course, eventually they did meet and it seems he didn't stink because they are busy making plans for their future together.

 

Now that I'm involved in some online friendships myself, though not with the benefit of video chat, Facetime,  or Skype, I can see how easy it is to feel you know someone pretty well after some deep conversations.  I'm really enjoying my new friends, one of whom calls me a sweet angel (little does she know!) because we have similar ideas about spirituality and prayer, and I'm grateful for the technology that allows me to form meaningful friendships with people who live thousands of kilometers away.

And I'm willing to bet that none of the three stink!