Flesh and Bone Friends

One of my best friends got fired today. He sat in the cubicle next to me. We would throw spit balls over the cubicle wall and we would call each other on the phone even though we were close enough to hear each other whisper. We would go to lunch every other day and he would order, "A no.1 with cheese with a large lemonade please." Everyday the same order. Little things about him made coming to work fun.

He will move away. We will not see each other anymore except for the occasional chance meeting a few years from now. All communication from now on will be through the internet or by phone. I would have liked him to see my daughter grow up. See his family. Have barbecues. Grow old with him. Along with many other friends of old that have gotten misplaced along the information superhighway of life.

When will community become reality? When will I have friends that I really want to talk to and really know and grow with? When will these friends live within walking distance? The job market has become so specialized these days that folks have to go where the jobs are. And the jobs are not here.

I want to surround myself with flesh and bone friends. I wept last night. I wept knowing that our friendship was at a crossroads. My wife comforted me. It was an odd moment. I believe that the internet does allow us to stay connected in ways that would have never been possible even a decade ago. But there is something missing also. When will my community be physical again, and not virtual? I thank you internet, but I question your motives. There is something missing in my life and I want to fix it.