S.W.A.K.

One thing that I have gotten a lot better about since moving is being a good penpal.
Ok- e-mail pal- whatever you would call that.
Most of my regular friends I keep up with pretty decently- but some of those early college and high school buddies that I fell out of touch with I have been able to re-connect with through the wonders of the WWW.

Its interesting how some people are much better at maintaining a friendship than others. I'm not really sure what its about. Perhaps its about priorities. I guess most things in life are. Maybe some just don't realize how much taking 5 minutes to type that little update to a friend far away means to the reciever. How exciting it is when you left all your pals behind, and you see that one of them left a little treasure in your inbox.

Sometimes life gets away from us.
I know that there have been times for me when I see something in my inbox from 3 weeks ago that I didn't reply to right away, and got lost under all the other crap. *Although gmail helps with that, maybe those people should get gmail ; ) * Then you don't reply because you feel guilty for not replying for so long- the conflict avoidance starts in.

My grandma told my mom the other day that she hears from me more than most of her kids in the country. That made me feel good. I like to be there for my family. I guess sending a "this is what happened in the life of Holly lately" message isn't necessarily "being there"- but you know what I mean.

Its so easy to lose track of people along the road of life. Its the true friends that will make the effort as things get harder and people get farther- whether that means geography or 'life paths'. I'm so thankful for those buddies that make the extra effort. Those young mommies who find a few random moments during naptimes to type a few lines- those working gals who take their lunch breaks at their desk to let me know they care- those little sisters who find a moment between basketball, volleyball, track, school, choir, band and talking to boys (don't lie Emily, you're probably talking to one right now) to let me know what is new in the fabulous life of them.

I really do love it!

It reminds me of a book series that I used to love reading around 11 yrs. old or so. Friends Forever I think it was called- or something like that. 4 friends- one moves away- all the books are entirely composed of letters back and forth. Thats where I learned all sorts of fun expressions such as (Sealed With A Kiss) as in the title. That was before the AIM and MSN lingo LOLed its way into our lives. Good times.

I never wrote personal e-mails in the states. Cell phones were much easier. Especially with nation wide long distance. Awesome. But here, especially in a country that bans Skype... I am learning to appreciate the written word more and more.
Ok- its information age pen-pal-ing. But its still pretty sweet.


Oh- *sidenote*- if you are looking for another friend to pen-pal with through e-mail- check out e-Buddies.
Its a really awesome volunteer program that matches people with and without intellectual disabilities in e-mail friendships. I do it- it rocks!
(otherwise, if there is a Best Buddies in your area, you can be a regular volunteer too)


Anyway- that wasn't the point of the post. I'm not really sure if there was one...
That seems to happen a lot.
Oh well- thats what this is for, right? No judgements, just musings.