So as I mentioned yesterday that I belong to a secret society. Now, I appreciate that perhaps talking about a secret society on a blog is not the smartest thing in the world, but we're hardly the Freemasons or the mob. I'm not really worried about waking up in the morning with a horse's head in bed with me (getting up here would be expensive in shipping costs anyway).
This secret society was formed in the wake of a bunch of us leaving The Muse and graduating MUN in the mid-90s. Its core membership has increased a bit over the years, but has remained fairly constant. And it was possible mostly because of the Internet. Seriously, whatever gripes and complaints people might have about the Internet, it has allowed me to keep in touch with a group of people that might have otherwise drifted apart.
Instead of drifting, we formed out little group, put together a mailing list and over the past decade have conspired to take over the world (we'll let you know how that's going some other time). But mostly it's been about keeping in touch, talking about strange things and giving each other a hard time. For awhile we were stalking Muse staffers and telling them they were doing a terrible job compared to our brilliance, but we gave that up after awhile.
It's one of the truths about living in Newfoundland. Your best friends are rarely the ones you get to see every day. They're the ones who come home for a wedding during the summer, or to see people over Christmas. It's a year's worth of fun crammed into a precious few days. The internet helps, but it's not quite the same.
Anyway, I've been worried about out little list as of late. Some of us, and I'm guilty of this, have stuck out and have started writing blogs. For me, it's because I like to write and I don't have the outlet I once used to. Plus, I'm an egomaniac who likes having other people read my writing (all writers are egomaniacs). Some of the others I'm sure have their reasons.
But traffic on our little list has...declined a bit in the last six months or so. Now, it could just be a lull. These things happen. But between kids, distance, time and all the other things that can pull at friendships, I get worried at times. I loathe the thought of anything happening or things beginning to drift. There are friends you make for life and the ones I made at the Muse, and who are part of this list, are the best ones I've ever had. At some point I'm going to write and try to explain what the Muse means to me and how it literally changed my life.
I don't know...it's late, I'm tired and I'm rambling a bit. I just wonder if even with the internet that 10 years is as long as you can hold things together before the pulls, stresses and strains begin to make it to hard to keep things together. Or at least make them as tight as they once were. I hope not. But, you know, I look at our little list and worry. Even the best secret societies can falter and fade....
4 comments:
Yeah- in the past year,give or take, there have been three weddings (involving five members)two babies, and a pregnancy as yet not completed.
Not to mention a couple of big moves and job changes.
It may dwindle at times, but I don't think we have to worry about the list dying off anytime soon.
Friendships like that never die, Craig, they simple go through active and inactive periods. This time of raising kids and building lives is pure chaos. I suspect that you possibly have more time than many of your group, by virute of not having kids or a dog (yet).
The best friends are the ones that you can not see for several years and then sit down with as if you'd never been apart. Sounds like your group has chemistry enough to fall into that category...
This summer will be good for you guys. It's starting to sound like you've been isolated for too long....
Ppppssshhhhaaaaa!!! Traffic on MBers has never been consistant. You can blame the blogs if you like, but I think they´re causing most of us to be in more frequent contact, not less; it´s just being spread around a little more. I even prefer the blogs, they feel more like the conversations we have when together...hmm, because they´re usually longer I think (bunch of windbags that we are!)
For Christ´s sake, I´m on a sunny tropical vacation and I'm still compelled to write and read - and it's not just so I can gloat while you're still in that northern winter;)
I'd agree with Mireille, I feel more connected now to what everyone is doing than ever before. I make a habit every morning and evening to go to each of the blogs, read, digest and ruminate.
Ten years, what's that anyway? My best friends from highschool and I are going strong after 17 years of knowing each other, we barely chat through the year but I know we're the closest of friends. We'll keep it together!
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