People I don’t Know
It’s strange to say their are people whom are so meaningful in my life and yet, I don’t actually know them. I feel like I know them. I “talk” to them through the media known as Facebook but we have never met in real life. Some of these people know more about several aspects of my life than those around me each day. What happens when your passions are so different from most people around you, a virtual network of friends is born. These are my Facebook friends.
I currently have just over 1,250 “friends” on Facebook. A good number of them I have never met. This I know will truly freak out my mother and most in her generation, I know this. I know she could not also understand how or why I accept their friend requests. Honestly, sometimes I have no idea either. But I like collecting things, and on Facebook I have collected some pretty amazing friends, which honestly have become amazing resources in life.
For example, I have a “friend” from my GORUCK circles that posts the latest AP Press Releases. This is like getting a personal newspaper in my newsfeed all day long. Honestly, sometimes it’s my only way to get the latest world news. I am not sure if we have ever actually met.
Another “friend” and a personal favorite, is a Canadian from my Death Race circles. His words carry a tremendous amount of weight and are often very profound. I find myself talking to Jason, my training partner, who is also friends with his man, professing how much I loved this post or that post. His posts have prompted several conversations and deep thoughts. We have had “conversations” via comments and been in the same location but haven’t really talked or formally met. Funny how you can draw daily inspiration and feel so connected to someone who is in most people’s eyes a stranger.
I would be remised to forget to mention the “friend” who honestly I have no idea how we became friends on Facebook BUT he ran 52 marathons in 52 weekends and decided to write a book about it and now is an author and endurance athlete. We have had several conversations but again not sure we have ever met.
I have a few “friends” who I met, yes actually met, through crewing a the double and triple iron triathlon this fall. Yes, I know multiple people who have not only competed but completed triple iron distance triathlons. Take a normal Ironman and triple all the distances. I also met for the first time in my life someone with the same last name as me, with a name like Schlachter their aren’t many of us. But now we remain connected through Facebook.
I do also have female friends that carry similar stories. Somewhere in the Spartan Chicked world I picked up some amazing female “friends”. With these ladies we have created a world were no one is crazy and a true community of “friends”. I have a “friend” who has lost a tremendous amount of weight since 2009 and recently completed her first ultra marathon. I have another “friend” who runs ultras with a log and she write about it. She works in education and we have swapped stories about kids. A new “friend” recently completed her first 100 miler, a feat I hope to build up to.
Their is the story of the woman, who had a series of tragedies and I profiled her in an early post, A Night at the Fox. It was not until this December that we actually met. She is one of the amazing women I now know.
The stories and people are numerous. I don’t know how I know most of them. I didn’t go to college with them, I didn’t go to high school with them. I might have met them at a race or they might have just liked the blog and felt compelled to friend me. The bottom line is these people all are unique and add to my experience known as life. I don’t know how they all came into my conscious but am thankful for all that they add to my experience.
So, I learned don’t limit yourself and you just might find yourself meeting some amazing people even if it is in a cyber world. I have learned though what you put on Facebook the world sees and know with over 1,200 friends pictures can travel quickly.