The Blind Date

The world  of Facebook and Twitter and the blogosphere is so amazing to me. The ability to connect with someone on the other side of the world is literally at my fingertips.  When I started blogging, I wasn’t writing so much for the connections; I simply enjoyed writing and wanted to get in the habit of doing it more.  But as I continued to share my blog, I started to recognize individuals who would comment.  Over time, we began to have conversations through blog posts, and some of those conversations have led to friendships.

As one with many acquaintances but few that I would consider true friends, I use the word ‘friendship’ carefully.  I am a relatively nice individual, and I would venture to say that most people who meet me like me.  However, I seem to have trouble getting past the acquaintance level.  Perhaps I’m a little inhibited when it comes to asking people to do things with me, or truth-be-told, I’m sure I sometimes isolate myself in the little bubble I have created for the kids and me.  Or I guess there is the other possibility that after reading my blog, people just think I’m crazy and tend to stay away.

In any event, there was one woman whose name would pop up frequently in the comment section of my blog, and mine in hers.  Lisa is her name, which also happens to be the name of my own sister.  Anyway, Lisa would leave little comments here and there, and I would do the same, and after a while, I just knew this woman would be my friend if we ever met.  At one point in our commenting, I wrote that, in fact, we should meet–after all, I knew Lisa lived somewhere in the area of where I live because she went to the same church as a friend of mine.

A couple of weeks later, Lisa sent me an e-mail agreeing and offering suggestions of where we should meet and when.  She even joked that we were mimicking the movie You’ve Got Mail, a movie that I’ve never seen, so I don’t know if I’m playing Meg Ryan or Tom Hanks.  And the date was set–a Tuesday at Starbucks.  My first blind date ever.

I guess the date wasn’t completely blind, as Lisa’s picture was on her blog and my picture on mine, but how did I know that she wasn’t using one of her Glamour Shots from years ago?  I’m seriously thinking of changing my profile picture to my Glamour Shot from when I was 14; they made me look 30, after all.  I digress.

I can honestly say that I wasn’t nervous about meeting Lisa.  Yes, I wondered how naturally conversation would flow, but I wasn’t nervous.  As I said before, I knew we would be friends.  And sure enough, from the moment Lisa opened the door of the Starbucks for Chloe and me on that rainy moment, our ‘in person’ friendship began.  While her daughter sat quietly and perfectly in her stroller and Chloe sat in multiple chairs eating both her snack and my breakfast (No, Chloe, I’m not bitter), Lisa and I chatted away.  Within minutes of meeting, we were already discussing our child-spacing methods or lack thereof and went on to filling in the gaps that our blogs didn’t provide.

And it was refreshing.  It was refreshing to meet a kindred spirit, a woman whom I didn’t know, yet at the same time, feel like I knew for years.  It was refreshing to sit and sip a cup of coffee, enjoy watching our little girls, while the drizzle sprinkled over the outside.  It was refreshing, and I look forward to doing it again.

When Matt got home that night, he asked how my blind date went.  I told him, “Lisa and I really hit it off, and we’re going to see each other again.”  Matt just rolled his eyes.  I hope he doesn’t think he’s going to be replaced.  After all, he his my best friend, even if Lisa is my new friend.

This week I am thankful for my new friendship and my old friendships with which God has blessed me.  Thank you, also, to my other steady friends that I may not have ever met but continue to brighten my days with their thoughtful comments on my blog.  If I ever get to your state or country, or if you’re ever in Georgia, I know there’s a local Starbucks waiting for us to meet!  For what friendships are you thankful this week?  Come share for this ‘Focus On It Friday’!