I have friends who, for some reason, send me all sorts of what I call Friend Spam. Friend spam is well meaning, but most of it is such drivel that I cringe when it shows up in my inbox. It’s full of smoochy hearts and flowers and impossibly cute, furry kittens, and always it extols the virtues of extreme friendships that last the test of time… yadda yadda. Or worse… it’s a chain letter. Or even worse than that? It’s a religious chain letter! You know what? Some of the people who have sent these things to me are people I haven’t seen in person in almost 25 years. We met up again on Facebook, which is truly an amazing thing if you stop to think about it. But do I consider us to be the same sort of friends we were back in high school?

Um, no?

You might be thinking, “Geez, Jenn… you’ve changed!”  Well, DUH. If you haven’t changed at all in the past quarter century, I’d have to suggest you take a serious look at yourself and your life. I’d say it a bit nicer, but really. I’ve LIVED. I’ve traveled. I’ve experienced.  I’ve evolved. I’ve broken a heart or two, and had mine broken as well. I’ve created life. TWICE!  I’ve morphed from a mouthy, somewhat insecure adolescent into what I am today (some might say that hasn’t changed too much), and I’m not done yet.Who I am today is not who I’ll be in 5 years.

Seriously though. Facebook may have reconnected us, but since we’re not the same people we once were, we need to find out a bit about each other, and not just rush headlong into a touchy-feely, totally fake relationship. It’s not how I roll, folks.

Keep it real.