I love the Facebook questionnaires. I love blogging about the Facebook questionnaires. And today I’m going to make up my own Facebook questionnaire about loving Facebook. And questionnaires. So, here we go.

25 Shout-Outs to my Facebook Friends

25. I have 281 Facebook Friends. I had no idea I knew 281 people, but in the course of the last 6 months I have reconnected with that many folks from past lives. Everyday I am stunned and touched by the friend requests that show up in my email.

24. Of these 281 FBFs, 12 are boys that I dated in high school, college, or post-college, up to and including my husband. Most of them sent friend requests to me, but I sent the requests to a few.

23. I learned that I know at least 2 people who have been struck by lightning and survived. One of them immediately got in her car with her son and drove from Windsor (yes, the one in Canada) all the way to a hospital in Flint where her family was waiting for her. Smoke was coming out of her nose and mouth. She is truly a survivor.

22. My FBFs have increased the traffic on my blogs tremendously. I am honored that anyone would regularly read what I write without needing me to pester or remind them. I have people very close to me who don’t make the time to read my writing. There are people LIVING IN THIS HOUSE that need to be reminded. So thank you to those FBFs who care all on your own!

21. I have reconnected with 4 friends that I was “on the outs” with in years past. Facebook has been a great place for letting the past go and starting fresh friendships as grownups.

20. My FBFs are pretty evenly split between men and women. My husband has more female FBFs, but I have more previous romantic ties to FBFs.

19. I have 5 FBFs that, had I reconnected with them prior to my move to North Carolina, I am certain I would now hang out with on a regular basis.

18. I have learned that I have 10 FBFs who regularly visit a home town or vacation spot within 3 hours of where I now live or where I vacation regularly. Of the 10, three currently have a trip planned that would put us in the same state. Two are actively making plans to get together with us during their trips. I, again, am humbled to know that I have friends – even distant ones – who don’t consider the extra effort to pull these visits off burdensome. I feel the exact same way!

17. My college BFF and I have rekindled a friendship and it makes me very happy. It is such a comfort to be friends with someone who has known me for years and years, even if it’s only the occasional wall message or meme swap. She is one of the FBFs with family close to me, and though we haven’t discussed it, I am hopeful we’ll reunite sometime soon. I haven’t seen her since her wedding day when I had the privilege of being her Maid of Honor. She was a beautiful bride.

16. I have received something in the mail from 16 FBFs since my move to North Carolina. Some were cards, some care packages, some gift cards, and one was a huge box of great hand me downs for my daughter. I am humbled by the people who have been compelled to connect in real life as well as online.

15. I have 2 FBFs who have, in real life, done something that hurt me terribly. One of them gave me a very sincere, face to face apology, and has since done several little but meaningful things here and there to try to make things right even though we’re no longer close.

14. The other has not, but we’re FBFs anyway.

13. Facebook has connected me with lots more people to discuss reality television with. I regularly swap messages about Top Chef, Real Housewives, American Idol, and Dancing with the Stars, so my husband no longer has to watch these shows with me. I have lots of other people to talk to!

12. I received a FBF request with a beautiful note, thanking me profusely for something I had done for her and her family years ago. I remember the person very clearly. What she thanked me for? No recollection whatsoever.

11. I have a FBF who is an organic farmer and eats raw.

10. I have a FBF who can be seen on an episode of the original Beverly Hills, 90210.

9. I have a FBF who is currently on a trip around the world with his wife.

8. I have a FBF who is a firefighter. He’s a man. I have a FBF who is an electrician. She’s a woman.

7. One of my FBFs is the first person I ever ate sushi with. However, my favorite person to eat sushi with is not yet on Facebook.

6. One of my FBFs is the first person I went on a real date with. One is the first person I went all the way with. They are not the same person.

5. One is the first person I ever really envisioned myself being married to. One is the person who I actually am married to. They are not the same person.

4. I have lots and lots of FBFs who have to work hard to limit the amount of time they spend Facebooking. I am not one of those people. After the initial obsession, I am now a very quick Facebook checker, just a couple of times a day.

3. I have vacationed with many FBFs. Three have taken me to what they consider their Favorite Place, but only one FBF has ever come to mine.

2. I have a FBF who is an attorney. We have never met in person; our ‘meeting’ was in commenting on the same blog, then commenting on each other’s blogs, and so on. Her blog is basically a stream of consciousness reconciling of her life as an attorney, a wife and a mom. Last year she went from part time lawyer back to full time, and is back on the track to make partner. Her husband travels quite a bit for his job, and hers is far from being 9 to 5. They make tons more money, which she thought was her reason for going back to full time work. But now they have to spend more and more money in order to manage their lives: new cars, housekeeper, prepared meals, eating out, babysitter, after school programs, tutors, and so on. The role faith plays in her life has changed, and she often finds reasons to avoid going to church. She is unable to reciprocate the kindness her friends and family show her, because every minute of her day is scheduled, and she worries that she has said or done things to alienate people who were once very close to her. And, she has come to the conclusion that money wasn’t the reason she went back full time. It was ego. So, now she worries about the example she is setting for her children, and she worries about how many other people she has to depend on to make her life work. Her quality of life has not improved with the money and the status, and she longs for the simpler days of less work and more play. And, she has NO IDEA that her blog has profoundly impacted my desire to finish law school. It is a weird thing to tell somebody: “Hey, friend, your life could be my life one day, and because of what you say about it, I don’t want to do it anymore.” But, I now understand that my ego is what is telling me to go back to finish my JD; I am smart and capable and loved my days as a workaholic. But I am a wife and mom now, and my heart is telling me there is something else out there that will allow me to contribute financially to the family and will challenge me intellectually, but will not compromise my quality of life. Though we don’t do the new cars, huge houses, or fancy vacations, we have peace. And time. And energy. So, I thank her for living out loud on her blog. She has given me a lot to think about.

1. I consider Facebook a gift. Maybe that’s silly, but having this network of people out there has given me a lot. Entertainment during the slow moments, inspiration during the motivation-lapses, answers to questions about everything from where to buy organic wheat bran around here, to the recipe for a drink that tastes like baby aspirin, Facebook has been there for me when other networks have not. So, as goofy as it sounds, I am very grateful to my FBFs.