There are so many ideas out there about online relationships...words on a screen...but the reality is far more mundane. In the 3-d world, you come to know someone's physical presence, and over time you come to know his or her heart. On the Internet, the order is reversed, but it's all the same thing.
I don't often feel the need to imagine faces of voices when I read people's posts. There's no particular reason to hear this voice than any other. That's all different now, for so many of my XOC friends. Now I can hear their voices...now I have a few more details to add to my relationships with people I already know and love.
Walking into a roomful of Xenites is a neat experience because you feel like you're related to everyone. The forum members whose posts you seek out, who you talk to through email and IM, are your brothers and sisters. The forum members whose posts you regularly read are your cousins, and the people from other forums are second and third cousins, who you don't know yet, but soon will.
I had a wonderful weekend because...the only way I can describe it is from a phrase I read once: "my heart took a picture." My heart took a whole lot of pictures this past weekend. |
