Where does Social Networking fit into our "seasons" of life? How do you close the chapter on one season, and then deal with that chapter reopening?

In my last blog I pointed out that people are placed into your life "for a season" and hanging on beyond those seasons can cause you to miss out on some great things. I liken it to missing out on the joy of the first snow, the first snowball fight, building a snowman, etc. because you are so busy whining about the fact that you can't do outdoor water parks for a while. If you hang onto friends from past seasons to the point that it is detrimental to your current season of life, you are going to miss out on some awesome opportunities in your current season.

But NOW we have social networking! Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, blogging... they're everywhere! Remember that girl you had a crush on in high school? You let that go and moved on, right? But then she adds you as a FRIEND on facebook! Ah - what could have been? Or how about that one dude - um... was it Jim? Hold on - let me go through my list of 500 friends... oh, sorry, it was Joe. Yeah, he doesn't look familiar... but he was friends with Liz, Fred, and Pat, so you MUST have known him, right? And he seems to remember you! Ok... squint a little, tilt your head, add some hair, imagine him about 40 pounds lighter... Oh, THAT guy!!!

It seriously feels like with the advent of social networking, all of our seasons have been given permission to intermingle. It may sound like fun to have a snowball fight while playing in a water park in 80 degree weather, but with that comes the need to shovel the sidewalk in 90% humidity! How do we reconcile this?

I think the whole social networking thing is still young enough that it's still evolving. What I'm discovering is that I'm making friends all over again, with brand new people who I THOUGHT I remembered from high school, college, etc. I'm discovering that the more I leave those old chapters alone, the more I'm able to create BRAND NEW chapters with OLD friends!!!

Now this doesn't work ALL the time. A few months ago I noticed someone who I knew in high school, and who I considered a pretty good friend back then. I added him as a friend. His response was underwhelming - "So... Klinger... I see you have... um... kids?" I determined that was not necessarily a friendship to pursue (if by some STRANGE stroke of fate you've decided to read this, underwhelming person I'm talking about, then you have totally surprised me and are proving my new chapter point even further!) I also had a friend I tried to joke with on her wall recently, but her new friends chimed in and REALLY put me back in my place. Sometimes the old jokes and the "good ol' days" are no longer available to you, and you need to once again leave the past in the past.

HOWEVER - I'm excited to say - there are some friends I've caught up with that have been the best thing for me! They were people I NEVER expected to be close to again, and people I never thought would have much to offer me, and people I'd written off years ago, and now they are new friends who have impacted me in AMAZING ways! I'm also excited that I've had the opportunity to impact a few people along the way! Maybe you're even one of them... reading my blog, thinking, "wow - is this the same Klinger who used to climb goal posts and remove toilet seats from girl's bathrooms for fun?!" Yes, yes I am! I'm also the same Klinger who destroyed his mouth with concentrated mouthwash in order to get a free Subway sandwich, the same Klinger who beat Dragon's Lair after only spending $75 on it in order to win a free pizza, and the same Klinger who could play every keyboard part of "Jump" by Van Halen. But I'm also a totally different Klinger, too, in many ways. Just like most of you are different.

The final question, and the subject of my next and final "seasons" blog, is what to do with these changes. How do we focus on the snowball fights in the pool instead of the shoveling in the humidity? How can we use Social Networking to make a difference in our own lives, and the lives of others? Does it all even matter, or is it just another flash in the pan waiting to burn up?