During the past several weeks, I have been communicating with a woman who contacted me through My Space. She is disabled and confined to a wheelchair. She reached out to me and we quickly developed an online friendship.
We've been trading several emails a day and she expressed great appreciation for the time I devoted to her. She was hungry for companionship and as any of you who know me surely realize, I was most happy to respond.
Last night, she affectionately called me her "dear pen pal friend" and expressed several heartfelt emotions for returning her offered friendship. She then told me that she hoped I didn't think her to be "wierd".
I of course told her that I did not think her wierd. And then I told her that I had my own secrets that many thought to be wierd and offered her the URL to my blog on Amazon related to my book. I wasn't trying to sell her the book. But I did want to make sure she realized that I too have had a handicap in my life and have learned to deal with it. After all, in the My Space world, it is a simple thing to look up the bio on any member. And my bio is out there in its honesty.
Her emails abruptly stopped. And she removed herself from being "my friend" in the myspace ether. She offered no explanation.
I don't necessarily feel hurt. This sort of thing has happened to me before. It used to be an all too common theme in my life. But it it has been years since I have subjected myself to an "outting". I do feel dulled inside with a sort of lost feeling. I feel tremendously sad for her as well. She was so desperate for outside contact.
I still find it curious how someone can percieve great worth in a soul, develop a bit of a meaningful friendship (albeit online), and then cast it to the wind with such a revelation.
It drives home the point that we still have many obstacles to overcome. Perhaps they will remain there for all time. There are only so many we can break down in a single lifetime.
Time to move on.
Cindi
