Friend

Yes, friends are really important - even for introverts!

When I grew up, the internet did not exist.  So, it was good to have friends, but I also spent a lot of time reading books, going for walks, riding my bicycle, roller blading (before roller blades, we used roller skates), and playing musical instruments.

By 1994, Yahoo was in beta testing and if you did search on infoseek, you might come up with 100 entries. 

Now the internet is full-blown world library and chat center.  I love it because I moved to Finland and it's not the easiest place to make friends.  With facebook, I can join groups, stay in contact with friends at home, and make new friends all over the world.  Because of the internet, I was able to pursue my hobby of raising show-quality longhair guinea pigs and made some trips to buy really nice ones from a breeder in Poland and a breeder in France. 

I like playing chess because it keeps my mind alert.  I can tell when my brain is not alert because I make stupid mistakes.  Other days, I can see that I'm feeling sharp and winning seems easy.  I think it's important to have an intellectually challenging activity because as you get older, you need to exercise your brain to stay healthy.  My grandmother used to put together really difficult jigsaw puzzles.  She lived to be 98 years old and she did not have any dementia or other brain problems.  She lived in her house and still made Thanksgiving dinner for all the relatives.  She was very capable and some of that was due to her good eating habits, modest exercise, and jigsaw puzzles.

I also like the internet to do research.  Funny how you can publish a paper and suddenly, you have more friends.

Email keeps me touch with friends too. 

For me, living overseas, my virtual friends are very important.  I value ALL of them - particularly with stay-at-home and social distancing due to the current pandemic.

But in the final analysis, local friends that you see and go drink coffee or beer with, do some activities together, or just hang out are irreplaceable.  A  true friend is worth their weight in gold.

That said, some friends are not true friends.  They are the ones who always need help, but they let you down when you need help. They are ones who are nice to your face and gossip behind your back.  They are ones who always borrow things and never return them.  As you grow up, you learn to recognize the toxic people in your life and false friends.  Shut them out of your life and even if they beg, keep them shut out.   Abusive people always apologize, but they continue to be abusive.  So, keep away from them!  Life is short and you have to be careful who you invite to the dinner table of your life

Ce verdad!

@CRYSIS ever had a friend? or you are just lonely all your life?