Jamie, I'm SO glad you mentioned the last paragraph. It was supposed to be "a funny," but then I had the feeling that people thought I was being vain, or sacrilegious, or both. It's so nice when someone *gets* you, isn't it? 

Cobalt-Blue, now I'm positive our daughter is paying you off somehow. You're pretty convincing about how great dogs are. :)  

Alli, yes, trying to define which relationships are "real" is becoming a fascinating challenge, with many new layers of complexity. But in some ways, the decisive factor is the same as it's always been, for on-line and face-to-face friendships: We still rely on the intuitive *feeling* we have about a person. We trust our instincts to tell us how they feel about us, and whether we can trust them. 

LisaNewton, I haven't had that experience yet, but there are several people in my on-line community who I'd love to eventually meet in person. Those friendships feel very much *real* already, but it would sure be nice to celebrate them with a bottle of wine. (And thanks for asking one of the questions for this series!)

TJ, while it's true that nothing can take the place of sitting down together in the same room and sharing a meal,  it does make me kind of wistful and sad. I mean, I know I'll probably never meet most of the people who feel like a part of my daily community. So what's the next best thing? Talking on the phone? Is there a meaningful way to grow and honor those relationships? Hmmm...

The Modern Gal, thanks for reading, and for letting me know that you enjoyed it!