Birds and Fishes

One of the great things about the Internet is how it allows people to connect that would have never met. A common interest can get people talking and next thing you know you have friends in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, remote mountain peaks in Idaho, and countries around the globe.

But what if you fall in love with one another?

I have come to understand that most people make choices, concious or otherwise, about where they want to be. Things like job opportunities factor into it but not that much. There are some careers that could only be followed in New York City. Since living there is my idea of hell on earth becoming a Broadway actress was never a goal.

Some people love snow, others see a couple of inches every decade or so they've seen plenty. Some people love the ocean, others see the inevitable hurricaine evacuation. Some people love Appalachia and others love the wide open spaces of the west.

Geography, climate, culture are all special about the places we choose to be. So what happens when a person who loves snowboarding, ice fishing, windswept prairies, and recognizes the differences between Finns, Swedes, and Danes falls in love with someone who loves balmy southern nights, fatback, mountains, and can explain the difference between second cousins and cousins twice removed? Do they compromise and find something they can both tolerate? Do they both give up something they love for someone they love? Does one give in and move to someplace they hate because it's the practical decision?

And then there are the people. The older you get the more people you have that would be left behind. At first you would have to leave friends. Later on you have issues like grown children and aging parents. Who gets left behind?

It's great that the Internet helps you meet people you would have never known but it opens up new problems.