The Human Touch

I had a lovely lunch with a lovelier lady yesterday.  Lovelier looks like a funny word...  I don't believe I have ever written it before.  But I digress.

I met Trinette when I was coaching triathlon Triple Threat.  I liked her right off the hop.  Her smile and energy were so infectious.  She is one of those rare people who is somehow both positive and realistic.  Although she won't hesitate to say if she is having a bad day, you never once get the feeling that she is complaining about it.

Trinette with my kidlets - the like her as much as I do.  :)

Admittedly, we got together because I needed to borrow a charger for my Macbook.  Trinette lives clear across the city, and this was a closer meeting point.  I suppose I could have just grabbed it from her and gone home, but lunch sounded so much nicer.  And it was.  The food was wonderful.  The conversation was even better.  The kind of stuff you can't find on Facebook.  Just a nice break all around.

I don't really have friends that I hang out with.  There are a select few that I get together with once every few months, but that's about it.  It's just the nature of my life right now - pretty much all consumed with kids and their activities.  My "spare time" is most often spent with my husband, because if it wasn't we wouldn't have much of a relationship.

There was a time when this bothered me.  I wanted to have a "normal" life like people I know who seem to have those close relationships.  They spend time together regularly.  Call each other to have coffee.  Get the kids together for playdates.  You know, that "normal" stuff.  Not having that made me feel alone.

Maybe social networking is partly to blame.  Would I spend more face (or even phone) time with people if it wasn't there?  I used to pick up the phone and call someone when I felt the need for human contact.  Now I tend to go online and comment on someone's status or picture.  Read a blog.  Write a blog.  A connection quick fix that doesn't quite do the job.  On the other hand, I have been able to reconnect with some people who have always been very dear to me because of the networking that is at our fingertips.

I do still hope that one day I'll find one or two people that I do stuff with on a regular basis.  Even though it doesn't depress me like it used to, I still miss that aspect of life.  One day, eighteen years from now or so, life will slow down.  I think.  Maybe change more than slow down.  Somewhere along the way, someone is bound to come along.  In the meantime, I will enjoy the little gems like my lunch with Trinette.