Searching for People from Your Past?

Jules

Jules

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Do you use the internet to search for people from your past? I don’t do it often. Something has to trigger a memory.

Today, reading the thread about the moon landing, I thought of watching it at the home of my boyfriend of the time. Usually the info shows up in an obituary. Today it found his brother. It brought back a few fond thoughts and some crazy ones.

I never make any contact and have no desire to do so.
 

I did when Classmates was a thing back in the late 90's. I found out my girl friend from my senior year of high school had died in 1992. That was upsetting. I looked at the profiles of others who had joined and then lost interest. Most of my friends went their separate ways once graduating from high school and I went on to meet people at college. My high school friends were very special to me at that time and place and always will be but I would find it awkward to reconnect with them now.
 
when i was eight years old, i was sent to a school for asthmatic children in tucson, arizona. i was there for two years and always wondered what happened to my classmates. 35 out of 75 found each other. we found others, but they didn't want to be found. they suffered psychologically, even into their adult lives, and felt abandoned when they were their sickest. occasionally I tend to google those we didn't find and realized many passed. I always wondered what their lives were like.
 

I was not searching, but a just got a card from a childhood friend. I called him and we spoke for about an hour, catching up. He has been accomplished in his career, and it was quite impressive.
I realized that our paths had diverged, and I have no interest in contacting him again.
 
I did a search on a high-school friend's mother, a few years ago. Her home was a safe haven for me, when my home life was chaos. Sadly, the dear woman had passed away .. but, my friend and I re-connected via
Facebook, though I rarely visit Fb. It's good to be in touch again.
 
Years ago when Friends reunited became a website for people to search for old school friends... I found a few and was really surprised at how various ones turned out. Some of the ones I expected to do very well in life hadn't.. etc...

I remember being stunned..( I was probably in my late 40's).. to find a classmate was already a grandfather of 6... :eek:
 
Jules said:
Do you use the internet to search for people from your past? I don’t do it often. Something has to trigger a memory.
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I did for a time... but got past the urge when way too many people started showing up dead. Even classmates and we're just in our mid 60s. Old flames. Old neighbors from entire summers of riding bikes and endless walks from sunrise 'til sunset. It got so sad and overwhelming that I forced myself to assume everyone else was fine and dandy and if they were dead, too, I didn't want to know. :cry:
 
CallMeKate said:
I did for a time... but got past the urge when way too many people started showing up dead. Even classmates and we're just in our mid 60s. Old flames. Old neighbors from entire summers of riding bikes and endless walks from sunrise 'til sunset. It got so sad and overwhelming that I forced myself to assume everyone else was fine and dandy and if they were dead, too, I didn't want to know. :cry:
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I'm in my 60's too..I think I'd freak out if I found a lot of my contemporaries were dead.. I'd start to think we must have all been fed something in our youth :eek:
 
A few of my friends reconnected with my sister. She advised me that they wanted to reconnect with me. I did so for a short time but realized that we had lived our lives for years miles apart and I could no longer find common ground with them. Two in particular, who were very close friends to me growing up, had no memories of our friendship and that saddened me. So, like TheOtherRick, I decided to leave the past behind and live in the present instead.
The only friend that remained the same to me was my neighbor friend. She and her parents were always very good to me and I always cherished our friendship.
 
GoneFishin said:
That sort of thing is kinda creepy but I have to admit I've done it
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It is creepy, yes, @GoneFishin . I always went in wondering things like "I wonder if Bob is happy" and "How many kids did Karen end up having?" but found obits much too often. Creepiest part is that it's not age related stuff yet... diabetes since childhood, motorcycle accident, MVA's, even a murder. Very unnerving.
 
hollydolly said:
I'm in my 60's too..I think I'd freak out if I found a lot of my contemporaries were dead.. I'd start to think we must have all been fed something in our youth :eek:
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I live near the town where I started school, so I read the local paper daily. Kids that I went to school with started showing up in the obits five of whom I was close with succumbed to cancer I had a close call with it. I couldn't say if any others died I don't remember their names, but, six with cancer made me wonder if there may have been something wrong in the building.
 
Rossana said:
A few of my friends reconnected with my sister. She advised me that they wanted to reconnect with me. I did so for a short time but realized that we had lived our lives for years miles apart and I could no longer find common ground with them. Two in particular, who were very close friends to me growing up, had no memories of our friendship and that saddened me.
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How could that be ?..One forgetting would be strange but two ?... :unsure:
 
I’ve looked up people a handful of times; mainly just to see if they have an online presence. I found a few people with whom I maintain occasional online contact.

One in particular is the older sister of a woman I dated 40 years ago. We have become texting buddies...
 
My family moved from NY to FL and moved from one town in FL to another. So I had 3 schools of friends. I am friends with many from each of them on FB. I am not looking back, we are friends now. I am also on several groups from each of these places and other places that I have lived after I grew up. Being friends now on FB does not have to be a negative experience.
 

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