Tonight I had dinner with “Jane” – a friend whom I met as a result of the blogosphere. I began reading her blog about almost 2 years ago and sent her an email saying how much I enjoyed her writing. And somehow we became internet pen pals, trading long emails almost every month (which is a much more committed schedule than chats with some of my friends who live in my area).

Then a while back, we learned each other’s real names, then we exchanged pictures, and now, finally, we have met for the first time, amid the lush ambiance of a SoHo bistro! Some producer should make a movie about our story. It’d just be like a romantic comedy, except it’d be a lot more realistic.  

Jane, who looks Parisan chic (and could be played by Kate Hudson, Brittany Murphy, or Jennifer Aniston in the movie treatment of our story) generously treated me to dinner: bacon-wrapped dates, a delicious crispy duck salad, and a banana and gelato dessert. The whole evening was wonderful - Jane was even cooler in person than I imagined possible. And the night made me think about the intersection of friendship and technology.

Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote in her Little House series that letters, sent in the Fall, may reach their destinations in the Spring (if at all). When families set off for the migration from one state to another, they embrace as if they will never see each other again, because that very well may be the case. The friends you make on the road (like Mr. Edwards) you may never see (or hear from) ever again. People are lost from each other, so easily.  

Now we have Facebook, Twitter, email, texting, telephone, cheap transatlantic airfare, cars and trains. We have almost unlimited ways (short of teleportation and unlimited financial resources) to see our friends. But many times, we don’t.

Of course, sometimes friends grow apart. Sometimes connections drift away. I think that’s fine if it is a conscious decision (i.e. the friendship is unhealthy or if it has just reached its natural end). But many times friendships just fade because of a lack of time or attention. I’ve been guilty of that as well - sometimes it just seems easier not to reach out, not to make an effort. I find that a little sad.

Isn’t it a paradox? The same technology and modernization that push people further and further into their own respective little worlds is also what makes it possible for friendships to start and continue when you are thousands of miles apart.