It wouldn’t take much to catch up. A round of hugs and some dark roast coffee and brief reading of he minutes of our recent lives. That would do it. Everything after that would be extra, and I thrive on extras.

These days, along with the warm and loving history we share, there are also great geographical distances woven into the fabric of our lives. For many of us, no drop-in visits or impromptu “Can you meet me at the coffee shop…” rendezvous are possible in this new paradigm.

It takes great effort to get together. Distances have to be considered. Dates coordinated. Expenses incurred. Possibly the arrogant incompetence of the airline industry tolerated. It is not easy, even if done in the comfort of one’s own automobile – on the same continent.?

In the place of actually being with someone, the epistolary arts once dominated long distance communication. The telephone entered to make such contacts easier, if less thoughtful.
Nowadays, ( There you go again ) email and social networks seem to dominate remote
personal communication. Email can work well. The vote is not yet final on the so-called social network sites. They all have that certain tangental flavor of brevity, shallowness and permissiveness.

Oh, then there is this “avatar” thing. I have to admit, I find this kind of fun but I wonder why. A simple photo of the person would do but there is apparently a need to “say something” with the picture I. D., or avatar. Admittedly, I play with this myself. It’s like choosing one’s own name after all these years. Another small step away from the way it really is?

More than ever, I think, it is critical to know thyself, and to keep a wary eye on the person thyself wishes or “thinks” to be.

So, you ask, would I give up the instant shallowness of email and social networking for the more thoughtful pen and ink and airport lounging method of communicating?

That’s a good question. I would love to be a deeper person.

My iPhone just buzzed and told me there are a dozen apps for that.