The word "friend" has evolved significantly in our newly connected, social media-oriented world and I think its overuse may be diluting its real meaning.  It has now become a verb and by "friending" someone on Facebook (for example) and you are now BFFs.  Hardly…

I have been thinking about friendships off and on for a while and a couple things happened during our trip to Sun Valley that pushed my thinking further…and one did actually involve Facebook.

New Friend

Thank you Blake Slater.  Blake and his family stopped shortly after we discovered we had a flat tire as we headed out of Seattle on I-90.  Car packed tight, two kids, a dog, and enough gear to last us two months for our one week vacation and there we sat just outside Cle Elum, WA.  As I got my bearings and began to think through getting the tire changed, Blake stopped to help….he even had his own equipment and his wife was timing him.

As the story unfolded, we learned that they had had two flat tires a long time ago on their car at night and no one stopped to help them.  From that point on, they always stopped to help someone in need.

Blake didn't want anything other than to help and I have to admit that I was a bit in awe of his generosity and genuineness (although I think I may have ruined the record time attempt as I tried to get the spare out).  When we were done, he gave me his card which revealed that he is a Detective Sergeant with the Nampa, ID (just outside Boise) Police Department.  Thank you again Blake.  We can all learn from your example.

Old Friend

This is where Facebook comes into the story.  I have reconnected with many I had lost touch with through Facebook which includes lots of folks I went to high school with back in Georgia.  One such person was Todd.  He was a couple years younger but we played soccer together and managed to drag him with us on various adventures including a few concerts in Atlanta.  We found each other on Facebook and I found out that he is living just outside Boise, ID.  As we were planning a trip to Sun Valley, I pinged him to see if we might connect as we passed through.  Turned out that he was headed there as well with his family and on a beautiful sunny afternoon two people who hadn't seen in each other in 20 years reconnected in front of the ice cream stand across the street from Atkinsons' Market.

Friendships are about more than profile pictures and status updates.  These new technologies help us connect and reconnect in ways we never thought possible but be sure to find the time to connect in person and remind yourself to do selfless things every once in a while.