Old Friends

I have to confess something; I have a love/hate relationship with Social networking sites.

The reason, I guess I don't really understand the word "friend". In my book friends are people who you would trust with your life or the lives of your family. A friend is someone that you want to be at every major/minor event of your life. A friend is someone that you want to share your heart with, your dreams with and your passions with. A friend is someone that you cry with, laugh with and mourn with.

I have been blessed to have many people that I would consider my friends. The problem that I have is that I apparently was not considered a friend of theirs and that is why I love Social Network sites; they point out that some people are not actually your friends. Sure, they will add you to their "friend" list but all you really are to them is a number on a page that they can brag about.

9 times out of 10 when I send comments or otherwise try to get in touch with old friends that I still care deeply about they either respond with one cold message or completely ignore my attempts to re-kindle the relationship.

I have never considered myself to that pest of a friend that people just put up with.... but I guess I am, or maybe people just "put up" with all their friends. I don't know.

What I do know and what these sites have made exceedingly clear to me is that I have a totally different definition of what a friend is.

My current disposition is that I offered my hand in true friendship and I have spent countless hours and un-measurable amounts of love and energy pouring myself into people who are, in the end, nothing more than users. They take and can't/won't give back or even offer gratitude.

I sound bitter I know, but the truth is I am simply incredulous at those "old friends" of mine. And I am coming to grips, slowly but surely, that "old friends" is really all that they are, no longer true friends.

You think you know someone, you think that you are equally committed. But hey, friends by the worlds definition are a dime a dozen so go ahead and abandon people who no longer have the energy to fill you and go suck someone else dry!