FB chat box made me think of friends who were here today ... gone tomorrow ... for good

Yes, I'm a facebook user. (Who isn't these days? I know, there are a few hold outs, but not too many.) When I first signed up, I didn't really understand the chat box bit. You know that little box that tells you which friend is online? You hit their name and up pops a chat box for you to have a private talk with them right then in real time. Like being on the phone. Well, sort of. I think you know what I'm talking about.

At first, I liked that chat box. I had great conversations with friends I have not talked with for many years. At first. And then I realized that chat box is kind of like a friend or neighbor who just pops over unannounced. Sometimes you're happy to see them. You invite them in, or sit on the porch and chat until there's nothing more to chat about. Other times, you really wish they would have called first. Given you some notice so you could have at least swept up the dust bunnies, or combed your hair.

So, I quickly learned how to turn my chat box off. We could send messages or leave notes on each other's wall. Get back when either one of us felt like it. But, lately, I've started playing with that chat box again. Sometimes, someone will send me a pop up message, but I didn't realize it because I had left my laptop open but walked away from my computer. Or I'll try to start up a chat, only to find my friend has just signed off. Sometimes you can even watch when your friends go on and offline in real time. All that popping in and out made me think of how many people I've known who were here today - gone tomorrow. As in, gone tomorrow for good.

I've decided I'm going to start leaving that chat box online more often. I miss my friends when they are gone tomorrow. So, if they want to pop in on me today ... that will be just fine by me.