To Friend or not To Friend

The age of the internet has provided the world with a whole new perspective and a whole new way to communicate.  Social networking sites like Facebook have provided us with a way to connect with old friends, long lost family, and strangers. And for the curious, social networking sites have given us the ability to check up on someone without actually reconnecting. Especially if their privacy settings are not set.

I did this recently; I was one of the curious. I noticed that a friend of mine was Facebook friends with a childhood friend of mine. With one click, I could see where my childhood friend was living and what they have been doing.  And then suddenly, there were two more childhood friends, I clicked on their pages and memories came flooding back to me.

These people were a huge part of my childhood. I remember believing that we would be friends forever. I also remember that I was at times a horrible, short tempered brat.  Do they remember me as that brat, as a childhood friend or even at all?

Life happens, people move, people loose touch. Except for three of them, they are still the best of friends. It was with joy that I saw them together as adults at a recent wedding. I could tell that they are still the best of friends. As I looked at the photos (privacy settings folks, use them), I was also a little sad; a part of me wished I could have been there.  A part of me wished I was still friends with them.

Suddenly I was torn. Should I ask to be their Facebook friends? Did I dare? What if they said no? What if they said yes? What is one to do?  

The little girl in me desperately wants to reconnect with these childhood friends. My adult brain and heart knows that it isn’t necessary. I am blessed with great friends, an incredible family and an exciting future.