Talking to people over the Internet (IM, email, blogs) has much less impact than interaction face to face.

This is what I was told recently. The person telling me this was attempting to make it clear to me that he thought I was wasting my time interacting with people on the Internet. Me staying home and communicating with people through the Internet instead of going out and working in a job was a waste of my God given abilities.

I've been told this before by another friend.

I know they are wrong. I know the impact others have on me -- huge! I have watched people's lives change because of their encounters with me on the Internet. I do not mean this in an egotistical way. It is just the simple truth. I would love to say all the changes have been good -- I cannot -- most but not all.

One reason I feel so frustrated by this feeling of being both overwhelmed and mute is that I feel a loss of connection to the people who read my blog. It's not just the fact that my springboard for their discussion is gone. It is also that I have not been out to read their blogs. And there is a part of me that is hesitating in shame -- what joys and sorrows have I not been there to share?

I know they will welcome me back with open arms. I know they are my friends. Still ... what kind of friend closes her eyes to her friends' lives ... and am I ready for the impact?