2D (online) v 3D (offline) friends

one day they come and another they go. sometimes they stay to play. and sometimes they go and sometimes… just sometimes they become friends. some friends last the test of time, the ups and downs, the ins and outs and some dont. this is all fairly normal. but the transition can sometimes be painful. to be a real friend you need to accept the person (offline 3D). not the facebook (online 2D).

the real person has complexities, issues, baggage, love, light, laughter, thoughts, opinions and traditions. each step in learning these things is a precious milestone. some friends make it and last. some dont. but each step is important in learning trust, respect, patience.

for example

i have been friends with bruce for over 20 years. he is precious. we are best friends face to face and enjoy some banter online.
i have been friends with anti for years and years and she’s one i love offline whilst she relies on me online. kinda. LOL
i met jimbo via facebook about three years ago. we each ran a wine group on facebook and discovered we both lived in adelaide and had many mutuals. our philosophies are incredibly similar and we have since forged a friendship that sees us through thick and thin. we are now friends offline more than online.
i met dana, my now house mate, a couple of years back through my wine group too (and via facebook and via a couple of other people who had introduced her to the wine group concept). she’s now considered family and we sit in the same room and banter online.
i met monnie via many social platforms and enjoyed the banter or just watching this kid grow and learn (she was about 19 when first introduced). through monnie i met her mum and we are now great mates. we try and catch up both online and offline!!
i have met others online, some new ones, some old ones, some who never cross the line to being offline.

more recently i transitioned a facebook friend from online (2D) to offline (3D). there are in many ways a friendship that is forming based on learnings and banter. time will tell if this friendship lasts but the education factor is proving worthwhile. there’s always lessons and remembering the 3D elements will help.

and that’s my story.