RhymePhile's Rat Race

Life is beautiful, and sometimes difficult, but always fleeting.

For most of us, finding a group of friends online is an added gift. "People just don't understand me" is my preferred way of explaining myself, except when I'm online. Here I'm embraced.

Thus, those who "get" me online are often more precious than anyone I meet in real life. I consider them friends, despite never having met most of them.

When I first entered online life, my mother wondered why I worried about the people online. They were just names to her, not people in front of a keyboard. It's a mysterious connection one can never explain to those that haven't experienced it. You write a story/post something/share a thought. In turn, someone, out there in the ether, reads it and responds. You then discover that you share many of the same interests, and just like that, you have a friend.

I've met many people because of my fan fiction. One of the sweetest and most kind-hearted of the bunch was vestafour, who passed away late yesterday/early this morning after a very long battle against cancer.

I first met her on RATales, our long-running Krycek message board at YahooGroups. When I made the jump to LJ, she would visit and leave comments on my fiction or posts. I admired her strength of spirit, because she had such a lust for life despite all her setbacks and hospital stays. She was only 53.

I never met her, but in her last response to one of my comments, she said something that sums up my feelings about online friendships.

Someday I want us all to find a reason to be in the same city. To meet everyone and just be able to talk real time for hours would be incredible. Many hugs!!!

Peace on your journey, L. You will be missed.