Is This the Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?

So...I've been thinking about this for awhile.

Y'know how a lot of people kinda separate their lives on the internet from their "real lives?" I don't mean like making a totally false identity online...I mean how people say, "Oh, we're blog friends...I don't know her in real life." Or, "I met him online. We might even meet in real life!"

I get that. I do.

But it weirds me out. Because, people, this is real life. I'm sitting at my keyboard, in real life, typing a post. And you're reading it, at a different keyboard, also in real life. You're reading it at a different time than I'm typing it, but it's still real.

We hear a lot about how mean comments on the internet can hurt people's feelings in real life. And how cyber bullying affects real lives. The line between the internet and "real life" can get blurry, and that's something to keep in mind anytime we're using the internet.

But I think this concept can have a positive spin, too. Just like a mean comment can hurt someone, a nice comment can lift someone. A positive post can change someone's real-life day.

And I guess what bothers me about distinguishing between "on the internet" and "in real life" is that I've met a lot of bloggers who I consider friends. I've never met them face-to-face, but they've cheered me up and cheered me on. That's what friends do. Real-life friends.

So next time you find yourself referring to your "internet" friends versus your "real-life" friends, think about it. Because friends are friends. Period.

{PS-- I don't know why this post came out double-spaced. Sorry about that.}