Written on December 11, 2010 ~ This afternoon was spent visiting with a friend. We talked, over coffee, and caught up on what's been going on with each other since we last sat and talked. We covered a lot of ground, from the personal to the political and a lot of topics in between. It was what a conversation should be: funny, sad, sweet, touching, enlightening and revelatory, with equal amounts of talking and listening.

Like many people, most days I rely on emails, facebook status updates, and texts to stay in touch with friends. These wonders of our modern times are great up to a point, but for me, there is nothing quite like being right there with the person I am talking to. Facial expressions, tone of voice -- we all know these are impossible to get across in electronic communication, and oftentimes it seems a little something is lost in translation. Electronic communication has its place. I know I'm addicted to it and depend upon it like almost everyone does, but there's just no satisfying substitute for the intimacy of eye contact, a non-virtual hug, or spoken words that fall on actual ears. Today, I am grateful for long conversations with real friends.