The Equalizer

I'm constantly amazed by this internet thingy - how it equalizes us all out in the best possible way.

An example, from this week:

I signed up on Classmates.com a while back, mainly to RSVP for a class reunion and also to see if I could contact my high school friend and college roommate to see where he wound up. I haven't been very active on that site. A little surfing to see who I might recognize. But, I'm not trying to meet people or chat on there.

I have an email capability on there, which I'm barely aware of. In fact, I've received emails on there from only two people.

One, from the aforementioned roomie who - it turns out - is still as irritating as he was when I lived with him.

And two, last week out of the blue from the class Goddess! I believe that I clicked on her profile and it must have registered a visit. So, she emailed me.

I was thunderstruck. This was a girl who was WAY out of my league in HS. She was gorgeous, although that word is inadequate. She had an ethereal beauty and a high-intensity smile. And she definitely had an "unobtainable" quality about her. She wasn't a "hottie" as I understand them now - that word is too crass for her. Not a cheerleader. She didn't even run around with the popular crowd. She was above them even, in a class by herself. She was aware of my existence, and that was enough for me in a school of almost 4000.

Ever since then, if I had an occassion to open a Year Book and look up some friends I would make sure to go by her picture. "Wonder what happened to her?", I would think.

Now I know. She has a good and quiet life in another part of the country, with a hubby and kids. She has a good stable job that I would never have guessed her in. And she comes home once a year to see family. She seems to be happy with where life has taken her, though with some small regrets.

How do I know? Because she's emailed me now a few times. She remembers me, and seems to like me.

As it turns out, we're both just people. Equals, at least on the internet. And that is a really cool thing.