Distance

Last night I was talking to my friends on Skype. It's fast, it's easy, and if you're just talking one on one, then you can even see each other face to face. Honestly, I'm pretty enamored of this invention. So many people these days move to places far away from each other, and you can't convey a certain smile over a telephone line, nor can you sing songs together over e-mail. Still, I was talking to a friend last night who was having problems, and we talked through it, but I wish I could have been able to give him a hug or something. Maybe it's just me, but I've come to realize that in most cases I'm a very physical person. I like being next to people, seeing them, and all of that sort of thing.

Me and my friends from high school have spent a lot of time in each other's presence. We did homework together, went to quiz bowl together, and all sorts of things. This past summer, we even went to Greece and Italy together. Now it feels weird being so far apart. Even if it were just an hour, I don't have a car. It would be difficult for me to get anywhere at this point unless someone else were to offer me a ride. The distance feels like it could be an ocean right now for all I can do, but that has also brought us a little closer, I think.

Being apart makes you realize how much you miss the people who have always been there for you. When I was having social issues recently, I had to come back to my dorm to break down with no one there. Parents, friends, whatever....when you're at home, you're used to having some sort of support system around at all times. Thank goodness, the next time that happened, someone was there for me, but it was still hard, because that person couldn't possibly know me as well as the people who I went to high school with.

I guess the point of this is that I really miss people. Lately, I have begun to think that maybe one of my weaknesses is that I tend to care too much too early on. Then I realized that that can't be helped. Being able to love isn't a bad thing, and everyone falls every once in a while. Last night I feel as though I did all I could to help someone, and that's what's important. Be there for whoever you can, be there to catch them when they fall. Then, when you're out of luck, and it feels like everyone's against you, you just might land in the perfect safety net.