Circles

Before deactivating FB I'd posted a comment about Google's new social network (which can only be accessed by invite, so if you get one and can pass one along to others, I'd like to try it) and how I liked the way it seemed they were going to make creating groups of friends easier than the way it is in FB now, so that you can control who gets what info. It's a clunky process in FB, and I have to always go searching for just exactly where one can create lists because I keep forgetting how. When you want to post something that only a certain list can see, you have to go through a couple of popup screens.

So Dr Z commented that it must be nice to have so many friends that you need to put them into different groups. I replied with an explanation of sorts about how/why I use the groups, but I didn't really respond to the heart of his comment, that yeah, it is nice to know enough people in different enough ways that you can create groups in the first place. I get it. I understood his meaning. I'm very fortunate. Sometimes I forget that because even though I know a lot of people, I don't spend much time with them. I used to complain that no one ever reached out to me first, that if I wanted to interact, I'd have to make the first move, but in the past year that hasn't been the case. People have been making the first move, and it's made me realize, especially since I was in a place where I did a lot of pulling back, that many people go through cycles of reaching out or staying quiet, especially if they're introverts, and it just so happens that most of my friends are as introverted (or more so) as I am, so they sometimes need a hand reached out to them first. They have all probably felt at one time or another that I didn't care when I didn't do any reaching and they needed it.

I do care. I'm just not always good at coming out of my shell. Anyway, I know that Dr Z made that point because his own life has been quite lonely for a long while. It's not easy to make friends, even for the friendly. I've met lots and lots of people over the years, but getting together with them on a regular basis hasn't worked out so well, either because of health (usually on their part), distance, or work reasons. But I love where I live, and I have options if I make the effort. It hasn't been quite that way for him. He's one of my dearest friends, and I'd love to hear him complain that he's connected to so many people that he needs a better way of grouping them.