Friendships Off and On
I’ve been thinking a lot about friends lately. It’s been a rough start to 2010 for my family, but every time I’ve thought I’m at my limit, a friend has pulled me through. I have a great community of women around me, both online and off.
Online I have some close friends who I am yet to meet in real life! We have never shared a cuppa, or shopped together, and our kids have never had a playdate – but we are friends none the less. Sometimes we talk about blogging, sometimes about mothering, and sometimes about life. My online friends can tell me they care in 140 characters or less! (Thanks twitter…) Despite distance there is an honesty in our conversations, and sometimes my online friends challenge me in ways a face-to-face friend wouldn’t dare to. I value my online friends immensely.
But lately I’ve been reminded of the importance of having friends with skin on. (This phrase has stuck with me since reading it in one of Erica’s posts at GWAS last year.) Only a friend with skin on can give me a hug. Only a face-to-face friend can recognise when the truth in my eyes is speaking louder than my words. And when I need practical help, like a meal, or babysitting, or someone to drag me out of the house for long overdue kid-free time… I need a friend with skin on. I would be lost without those ladies.
Some friends blur the lines. I have dear friends who now live states, or countries away. And on a rare occasion, an online acquaintance becomes a flesh and blood friend. I am blessed to have true friends both off and on.
I read a fantastic post about friendships over at InCourage this week and I don’t think I can sum it up any better than Dawn Camp already has:
As a blogger, I seek a comfortable balance between my online and face-to-face friendships. I have doubts that my girlfriends and I will ever discuss search engine optimization, social networking, what to wear to blog conferences, or a host of other issues and geekery that I adore discussing with you online. On the other hand, they’ll be there for a girls’ night out when my week has been lousy and my pageviews are low, whether or not they understand what that means. I treasure you both.
So to my treasured friends, online and off – thank you.
(PS – pic is of me with my beautiful sister, my friend. xx)
Love this post, Cath! Sooo true, most of my IRL friends don’t even know that I blog.; )
ps. How gorgeous are you and your sis?!
Brenda´s last blog ..The funny thing about Boot Camping…
Gorgeous photo, you look great. love the necklace.
How true Cath. I have some very special “skin-on” friends in my life. I see these ladies every week but once every couple of months we go out for lunch together. I always come away blessed for having spent time with them. They know all my faults and love me anyway. We all need friends like that.
Moving across the country 12 months ago has made it much more difficult to ‘see’ my skin on friends and I am so glad of the chance to ‘speak’ with them online, keeping up with all of their news and knowing they are there.
Keeping up with friends IRL seems to take a lot more effort, as we are all in very different places -working, not working, young child, older children, etc, whereas when you pop online, there always seems to be someone there!
Christie @ Childhood 101´s last blog ..Don’t They Just Play? Ingenuity
You are very lucky to have so many, like my dad always says…you have to be a friend to have a friend.
I dont know where I would have been in the last couple of months with out mine, when your whole world falls apart around you they are there to build you a new one.
I have not blogged much it is so hard to share at the moment and it is true the face to face friends who look into your eyes know how to help. I would be lost with out them.
Rizoleey´s last blog ..Busy Busy Busy
I wish I had more skin on friends! I’m geographically isolated and usually it doesn’t matter because I have great online friends. But we’ve been away for a couple of months and I’m finding it hard to fit back into some of my online haunts and pick up the threads, so I’m feeling very lonely. I’ll get there, it just seems to take longer than when you can see someone.
Deb´s last blog ..10 Ways to Engage All the Senses for Babies Up
It is so great that we have the internet as a resource for those who are isolated. I think you are right though, those “skin on” friendships are so important. I feel so very blessed to have great real life friendships, and I am just starting to develop the on-line ones (and some cross over). Interesting that some of my real-life and on-line friends say I am much more “opinionated” on-line!
Julie´s last blog ..Activities for 18 months +
Both kinds of friends are very special. How blessed are we to have both!
Busy Brissy Mum´s last blog ..Little Hair Clips For Little Girls
So true what you have written here.
Lovely pic.
Michelle´s last blog ..Tears – Soft Whispers
I’m a bit lacking in the skin on variety of friends too. And as Christie mentioned sometimes it’s so hard to catch the ones who live closest. Working hard on maintaining better friendships this year
Narelle Nettelbeck´s last blog ..My Turn!
I agree, you need different friends for different things, but you still always need friends! Love you sis!
What a beautiful post, and gentle encouragement to spend quality time with our friends “off-line”. I love facebook and blogs, but am finding sometimes it fills that gap temporarily that a hug and a cuppa with a good friend should fill. Bless you! You look divine in that dress – where did you get it from?? (Want one!!)
Beauties! God often uses friends in our life. So special.
I’m so blessed to have you as a friend both on and offline, hope you’re having a lovely Valentine’s Day today xx
Peace Mitchell´s last blog ..What I wish I knew before I became a mother
Hello gorgeous!
Loved your thoughts on this….
Since hitting the road permanently man do I miss my skin on friends…really craving contact from them like never before. And our family has become closer and more tightnit as a result. But you need friends, we are created for community!
You are such a sweetie! Doing an amazing job…I think you’re wonderful!
Love and hugs
from “The Little Isle”
(where it’s a bit brrrrrrrrr)
Karen A-D´s last blog ..First Day of School…
Hi Cath,
An interesting & enlightening read. I’m very new to the world of blogging, WAHM & C2M for that matter. My world does still comprise the majority of skin on friends & I’m learning to interact now on the flip side.
Thanks for highlighting the importance of the balancing act. I’ll tune in on your posts.
Cheers.