17 Comments

I come from those internet relics we used to call blogs over a decade ago. Literally all of my friends were either readers or fellow bloggers back in the day and that's how we got close. In the meantime I became an adult, came out of the closet, got a life of my own. This reminded me of how I still struggle to call them friends even though they've helped me move in, donated furniture, drove me to the airport, took planes to see me. When is love real, if not then, if not like that?

Expand full comment

OK, but as a fellow Sagittarian who joined Twitter in 2008... I felt this. And I just need to call out the beauty in this line: "The bodies of these hot guys eventually become a bed you are stranded on opposite sides of."

Expand full comment

oh, goodness. We could be a club of Sagittarians who joined in 2008!

My very best friend & I met online in 2004. We have met in person exactly once. Everyone else from the heady busy online forum days back then has fallen back to acquaintance status on various social media sites, but she & I share many phone calls a week, text constantly, lose track of threads across the platforms we use to communicate. I can't even imagine what I'd do if we broke up at this point.

Expand full comment

Hells yeah! Online friends are every bit as real as "in-person" friends. I have online friends - who I've never met in real life - who I met on LiveJournal years ago (back when LJ was at its peak). I moved across the country to a city I'd never been to before into a house one of them was moving out of just on their statement that the house was good and the landlady was great (both turned out to be true). Some of these friends were around when I announced my son's birth of LJ and were still around when I announced he was starting his senior year of high school this year. Some of them are no longer with us, and I still tear up when I see their username on sites. (Yes, Goodreads, I think [friend] would have liked this book, but they died 10 years ago.) There are friends who when they comment on my Facebook posts, my wife sees it and asks "Who's [realname]?" and I have to say "Oh, that's [LJ name]," and then she knows who it is!

Expand full comment

I wish these things were more straightforward. More black an white. So I didnt feel like a creep for feeling connected to ppl via their work and Twitter. But also, I don’t think I can truly love someone that haven’t connected with in some way. Whether that’s zoom or some other virtual “touching”. Idk. I miss the days of meeting on park benches and at bars lol. The good ole days.

Expand full comment

Thanks for sharing this, Saeed, it was great!

Expand full comment

So beautiful. I kept thinking, am I that friend to someone? Am I THAT friend?

“Why can’t this love be yours” kind of sums up the beauty of online connection (as well as the void).

Expand full comment

This made me think of my own version of all these friends, but it did make me feel like big or small, all these connections are meaningful.

Expand full comment

I was suffering from Parkinson's  since 5 years & life had become disastrous for me.75 % of my body was covered by Tremors.After taking herb at multivitamincare. org  under supervision of Dr. Jabu I started getting results within 3 to 4 weeks .Treatment went very well and tremors are gone.

God bless

Expand full comment

"...here on he other side of the internet, wishing them well always." Yep. More of that.

Expand full comment

I just want to say that the writing is beautiful. I have never seen something that looks like a stream of consciousness writing feel so clean and decluttered. To cover so many iterations of the same type of thing yet be so minimal and yet not feel stylized or forced. Oh and also, as an Aquarius moon whose love knows no distance...this love can be yours!

Expand full comment

I love this so much. I've had the tab open for a long time to re-read. Thank you!!

Expand full comment

This is a beautiful post! Thank you 💜

Expand full comment

Absolutely lovely descriptions and captured so many of the online relationships perfectly!

Expand full comment

He did it again! I relate to this one hard. Every post sparks joy! Your works are such a delight Saeed. I hope we could be internet pals someday 💖

Expand full comment

Oh yes. Trying hard to stay on the right side of that Reply Guy line!

Expand full comment