Friends

Friends can be a variety of people . From an aquaintance you felt you clicked with to your best friend that you talk to everyday.

Strangely, my Best Friends are the ones that I don’t talk to everyday. They’re the ones that live in different cities than I, and that have a seperate life but are there if I need them. We share joke emails, and we share important news. We can go months and months without talking, and there are no hurt feelings. Because we know the love is there, and the bond is strong.

I have a couple of very good friends too. Ones that I talk to every day, via the internet mostly (because I hate the phone) Some of my very good friends I’ve never met in person, but only through cyber space. I completely believe that a friendship can build this way. We talk, we laugh, we argue we fight.

The only lasting relationships I have with men, are with guys I’ve met over the internet. I’m not sure what to think of that yet. I’m sure there’s some psycho-analytical reason for it, but really, who cares?

When things started to really take off in July, as far as this writing career is concerned, there were a lot of mixed reactions to my news. When I called my parents to tell them about the first sale, my mom’s words were . . . “Good for you. Now you’re going to have to stop talking to your friends on the internet so much and write huh?”

:plain: Thanks for being so happy for me, Mom. And just so you know, those friends on the internet are the ones that push me to write more.

Don’t get me wrong. My mom is very supportive, and she encourages me to do whatever makes me happy. But, I don’t think she got it. You know what I mean? Same as everyday friends and co-workers. They knew I’d been working towards this, and they say congratulations, but that’s it. They don’t get what a big deal it is.

My cp’s were with me via email during a week of fast happenings, and they cheered me on and they got it. They knew what these deals were all about. They knew that it could be the start of something big for me. Some are there more than others, but I know they all get it, and I know that they are happy for me…and that they understand if my attention isn’t what it was for a little while.
They know that for now, these stories are my first priority, and that jokes and chatting will come once my intial panic/joy/adrenaline rush passes, and I feel like I’ve got my feet back under me.

Sadly, some things have changed. Some friends have started to treat me a bit differently, and it confuses me. I’m still me. I haven’t changed. I have been a bit more quiet lately simply because, I’m panicking, my very first hard deadline with one of these publishers is close, and I’m not completely done. I think that’s normal. But I’m a bit hurt by my friends lack of support, and understanding in what this means to me.

I forgave my daily friends when none of them even thought of having a drink with me, or dinner, or celebrating my sales in any way. Because despite the fact that they all knew it was something I’ve been striving for, to them, these things weren’t a big deal. Ditto my family. No one said, “Hey, let’s celebrate! You did it. You sold to a NY publisher!”

Anyway, last night a guy came into the bar. One I haven’t seen in months, but I’ve always enjoyed talking to. He wasn’t a close friend, or even someone I saw outside of work, but a nice guy that I could always count on for a good conversation with.

He asked me how my writing was going. Since I hadn’t seen him in months I started to tell him about the recent develeopments. The agent and the sales to NY. It was so great! He started to get real excited for me, and he seemed to truely understand the magnitude of what these things meant to me. His excitement for me made up for those that just said “cangratulations” and moved on. He sat at the bar and chatted with me for almost three hours. Listening, asking questions, and just generally being excited for me. It made me feel so good and happy.

Now, isn’t it strange that someone I’ve really considered nothing more than a regular customer that could hold a good conversation, was more excited for me that my every day friends? Was he more excited because he knows about publishing and business deals and stuff like that, or because he got the whole story in one shot, instead of as it happened?

After all this long ramble…the whole point of my post was to say THANK YOU, to my friends that I’ve met through the internet. To all of you who read my blog, and say congratulations, and share parts of yourselves with me in your comments and emails. Even though I’ve never met a lot of you in person, I truely feel that you are friends and I am so thankful for your support.

So, Uhmmm, Thanks.

Ok, sappy moment over. :blush: