Good friends come and go - real or not

The majority of my writing over the past couple of years has been m/m slash, or to be more exact bandslash, plus Alexander the Great slash, as well. And somehow over the past six months of hospitals and med changes, my interests in what I write changed so I pulled away from the band fandom I was so involved in. I made a new journal on LiveJournal that will just be for my Alexander fics and some personal stuff, and more than likely, some snippets of original fics I'm currently writing. I've considered putting some of my Alexander drabbles on here - the ones I do weekly - because I'm kind of proud of them and enjoy writing them but I'm not sure how well they'll be received. Something to ponder I guess.

Anyhow this post wasn't supposed to be about any of that, but rather the reality of losing friends who you really have nothing in common with anymore. I've heard people say that online friends are not true friends, that they don't count because they exist over the web and not in our "real life" but I beg to differ. Being someone that tends to shut herself off from real life friends, who prefers the sanctity of her house to the noisy outside world, online friends are very important to me. They are my support, my encouragement, my shoulder to cry on, my ear to listen when I'm excited or sad or just need to talk, and it hurts just as much when those friendships end, more so than some RL ones. I'm a sappy, mushy friend who cherishes the people in her life and may make them crazy due to all those things but at the same time, I'm loyal and supportive and non-judgmental and I listen really well.

Online friendships can be safe and playful, but they can also be emotional and life-changing, and when things change between friends, interests or what have you, it can be hard to adjust yourself to not having that person at the other end of the web to talk to. I understand why friendships end and why there is the necessity for closure but that doesn't mean I don't feel sad, fell like I've lost something special. I do and I have.

I want to end this post on a positive note by saying that even though I've loved and lost so to speak, I still have great friendships in my life, ones that I cherish and hope to grow and keep for a long time. Friends are gifts in our lives whether online or "real", gifts that even hermits like me appreciate and thrive on. So to all my friends reading this - thank you for being my gift.

k