You've Got A Friend

Last night, I was talking with Mr. Diva and I mentioned some tattoos that a friend of mine has. Out of the blue, Mr. Diva commented on how strange he thinks it is that I refer to certain people as "friends", since I've only seen them (in real life) once or twice.

Hmmm.

I stopped and took stock.

"Friend" is somewhat of a catch-all, a descriptive term that is short, concise and easily understood. "Person I met through another person" is clunky, "fellow employee" and "guy from my gym who I talk to every morning" are just bizarre. So yes, I do refer to most people as my friend.

But truth be told, the majority of my friends are people that I have little physical contact with. Most of them are people who've moved away, or whom I've worked with out of town. But a large portion of them are people whom I've met once. Maybe twice. Women I've met online as we all dealt with managing our weight. Runners I've met online and then ran a race or two with. People I've met at certifications who become a part of my day to day life, people I turn to with questions and concerns about training - and anything else that comes to mind.

These are people who share my interests. We have common goals, aspirations. They understand the difficulties of juggling real life and family obligations with the demands of our athletic pursuits.

They are my friends, and I'm grateful to have met each and every one of them.

In an ideal world, the people I connect with so strongly would all live nearby. We'd be able to train together, run together, meet for coffee and maybe grab a movie. But until then, I will text them, email them and respond to their forum threads online.

So, yes - regardless of the accumulated face time, they are my friends. Besides, "acquaintances" is entirely too long and sounds presumptuous and weird :)