Screen People Vs. Meredith (Hint- Meredith wins)

I was having a conversation with a friend the other day about how "kids these days" don't know how to authentically connect with others. So much of their friendships and connections are through a screen, they are losing the sense of closeness that used to come with spending quality, unplugged time with another person. I too realize I am guilty of too much screen life. Living abroad, I do so much communication online. The people I am closest to in the world I can only reach thanks to technology, and while I am certainly not ungrateful for these means of communication, I also miss the connection. I miss knowing someone so well that we laugh over a look, predict each other's next phrase and anticipate how they will react to the weird dude behind us in line at the 7-11.

I am so #blessed to have had the same best friend since I was three years old. Her name is Meredith, and I miss her something terrible. I miss everything about her and about us that I took for granted when we were young and wild and free roving the 757, wreaking havoc on the roads and leaving no Chic-Fil-A unvisited. 

I miss her hands. She has beautiful, small hands, with nails she keeps meticulously painted. I miss the scientific method she uses to doctor up her coffee, and then how long it takes her to drink it (days). I miss her lack of appreciation for condiments- all she puts on a hotdog is mustard. I miss  how she reacts to cats, with the same begrudging indifference cats normally give to people, except cats are stupidly obsessed with her, probably because she views them with such begrudging indifference. I miss watching her drive while smoking and drinking coffee and shifting- her flow with this multitasking feat is an art form. I miss hearing her laugh with abandon. I miss watching her pick out what to wear; despite the real struggle this presents her (and all of us women, let's get serious) I love listening to her unpack her reasons why or why not certain outfits. Her ability to talk herself out of things is truly something to witness. I miss the way she listens without thinking of the next thing to say- she just listens to make sure she understands. I miss the way she says "awww, Hetero" when I am crying, because I know "awww Hetero" means "God I love you and I am so sad you are sad".

I miss everything about Meredith, but I am grateful that we grew up together and the her I know is the real her. We have spent countless real moments together. We have story after story of shenanigans, gut-wrenching sagas, dramas we survived together. We may not have been physically together for all of our stories, but man, we have such an amazing foundation, built from our years together as kids. 

I hope the current generation has Meredith's in their lives and not just screen people. I don't know what I would do without my Meredith. Even with all the screens, it doesn't make up for just sitting with her in the flesh. I guess I wonder if this is something kids these days even miss.