Passing Notes

This whole blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and SMS thing has got me thinking.

My friends and I passed a lot of notes to each other in high school.

A LOT of notes.

We had a lot to talk about. Boys mostly. That could fill pages.

And other things. Not many other things, though, come to think of it. Didn't all of life revolve around something that, in the end, got back to boys?

The point is: all these communication tools tell me that people still really like to stay in close contact.

It's interesting to me that my sons who are (almost) 19 and 21 have become big fans of handwritten letters. In their circle of very wired friends, the time it takes to actually write a letter and mail it is a gesture worth quite a bit. The handwritten notes are uniquely expressive and carry with them a value that cyber mail cannot duplicate.

I've produced hundreds (probably thousands) of handwritten letters in my life and received the same in return. I treasure the letters my sister and I wrote to each other during my first 15 years in Africa. I find it a bit sad that we only have email now.

I know that notes, cyber or paper, can't replace real time and I can't see there ever being a substitute for a coffee date, a shared tea or a walk together.

But since my life has carried me far away from quite a lot of people (scattered all over) that I love, I'm thankful that there are clever little ways to continue passing notes.

So I Caved (or lisa gets facebook)

I kind of hate to admit it but I've finally caved to the inevitable domination of Facebook.

Yep, Ms. B. got herself a Facebook account.

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated."

So said THE BORG whenever they confronted life forms that tried to avoid being conquered. (So many life lessons were learned by watching Star Trek ;-)

I have valiantly resisted FB for over 2 years. Even the clever, persistent and sweetly persuasive Nelly could not get me to join.

So what did it?

England.

Dang it. We were there with almost 300 people in the 24-7 family and as we left that gathering I thought,

"I care way too much about way too many of these people to NOT opt in and make staying in touch that much easier."

It's not that I think FB is easier than email. It's more that I just have to join the current MO if I'm to have a hope in hades of having any hazy... (searching for an H word here. Nelly, what H word could be inserted for 'connection' or 'relationship' ?)

I'm not getting sucked in, (she said like a true addict.) But I do think having a new FB account is a little like having a new baby. It needs a lot of attention as it makes those initial steps of growth. At least you don't have to get up in the night to take care of friends requests.

I'm hoping it settles down and takes care of itself a little more now.

BTW, there is ettiquiette to follow if you're the parent of other FB users. First of all, don't be writing on their wall all the time. That's WAY out of line.

I got a land-line phone (that's a TELEPHONE with a cord that attaches it to the wall, for those of you who don't remember those) with my own number in my own bedroom when I was 16. It was the absolute height of communication technology.

That and passing notes in the hall.

I always loved passing notes.

Here we go, then.