Caulk the Wagon

Some people like keeping their various friendships separate, allowing them the space to have a few different circles. Not me. In an ideal world all my friends would know each other and they would all get along famously. Of course, this is impossible because nothing guarantees that just because two people can call you friend, they'll get along too. I love it though, when two people who I know in completely different circles or on totally different levels, can strike up a friendship that lies totally independently of me.

I've realized that I kind of get nervous a little when having friends meet for the first time. I want them to like each other, I want each of them to understand why I think the other is so great, and I want them to be friends so that we can all hang out together in the future. Problem is, to further this end, I tend to meddle and separate people unless I'm absolutely sure that they'll get along. I've been told recently that I get this idea of who someone is and then I make a judgment call on whether or not they'll get along with another person. If I think they would, I don't hesitate to introduce them. If I think they won't, I tend to keep them apart.

This putting people into boxes isn't the point of this blog. The actual point is a term we've recently been using: Crossing the streams. Check out the following scene from Ghostbusters.

"Egon: Don't cross the streams.
Peter: Why?
Egon: It would be bad.
Peter: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, 'bad'?
Egon: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Ray: Total protonic reversal.
Peter: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon."

In our world, "crossing the streams" is being using to refer to the action of having friends meet and greet each other. Of course, not all such meetings are fraught with peril but when you place such an importance on friends liking friends (like I do), it can be nerve-wracking and a potential disaster area. It's like planning an event, you have to lay the groundwork for a successful evening, and then also work on contingencies in case of emergencies.

After having two friends meet, or a person introduced to a whole group of your friends, it's de rigeur to have a de-briefing session. "What did you think of so-and-so?" The best thing to hear is something other than platitudes and hope that they got a chance to interact on some level that might spark something other than just "Oh, so you're friends with Jon? Okay, cool." I mean, for the most part, you're introducing friends to other friends for a reason right?

If a compilation of your friends can give a fuller picture of your personality, isn't it always interesting to have two of your friends meet? But man, what if it goes all wrong and they totally don't get along? Does your world end in total protonic reversal? Probably not, but it would sure make my potential The Gauntlet: Season Me all that more interesting.