Authenticity....

That's the word

that I chose 

at the beginning of the year

to concentrate on in 2010.

I am still thinking....

In fact,

it has been brought home to me 

on a regular basis that most 

of the people I seem to interact with

(bloggers excluded)

are far from authentic.

Is it fear?

Is it meanness?

Is it ignorance?

Is it miscommunication?

Really!

I want to know.

I want to understand.

And,

 if I am looking at it 

in a skewed manner,

well, 

I want to know that too....

Really.

Do I perceive the bloggers

I follow as being authentic

because they are?

or are they really good at 

"puttin on the show"?

Is the fear factor eliminated 

because they don't ever have 

to meet face to face?

Or is the internet just 

a place that one can be

 anyone you want to be?

Here is my dilemma.....

I spent some time with a few of my 

old friends recently.

It was weird.

They were fascinated by things that seemed 

so foreign to them, (and me)

and they didn't seem at all like the 

people I once knew.

I know there is room for growing up, but not developing

a whole new personality.

Then there is the situation

where one of my friends

came into a large amount of money.

I have seen very little of her since.

She has not simply excluded me, 

she seems to be avoiding everyone. 

What is that all about?

Now,

I am contemplating going to a 

35 yr reunion (high school)

I want to go,

at least I think I want to......

I was first informed about this 

reunion via the infamous

Facebook.

And the price for the event seemed doable.

So I said YES!

and paid my money.

Now I am watching how people are 

interacting.....

and honestly,

 I am a bit frightened,

bewildered,

confused,

apprehensive,

nervous,

and 

seriously folks,

I don't want to be disillusioned again.

So help me out if you have some experience here.

Do you find people to be authentic?

Do you go to reunions?

Have you been disappointed by 

old friends?

Does the high school clique thingy crop up at your reunions?

Finally,

Do you trust what people present to you,

and is that a vital part of liking them?

What do you think?

Now about that cat....

She must be the reason that the food in

that particular feeder

(we have many)

lasts longer.

She is a neighbors' pet

and loves to hunt by the trees out back.

smiles.

Observations....

So many bloggers inspire me...

So....

when the whole weekend turned into "pea-soup"

Fog like we have not seen around here for some time.....

I decided to embrace it.

I took a clue from the week of lovely photos from

Mary's blog In a Soft Light

She has been embracing the fog for sometime...

I suspect.

So...

as much as I tend to be claustrophobic,

and want to pout on foggy days...

I headed out, into the cold,

and shot lots of images.

It is good for the soul.

On another note...

while I was out,

I happened to notice

this...

He or she was taking a nap on the "electrical box"

way out at the back of the property....

Must have been warm..

humming away...

or maybe

it sounded like a

mother's purr.....

smiles.