The Untouchables

We all have these people in our lives. Whether we chose to admit it or not is where we may differ in opinion. You know, they are the people in your life that don't know that you exist, yet you definitely know them and many things about them. A good example would be celebrities. We all see them and their lives on the big screen and feel that we "know" them in some way. We get snap shots into their personal lives and see their personalities and values presented in interviews. We know when they get married, have babies, and go on vacations (not necessarily in that order). We see all their good and bad acts and then make judgements about them based on the "facts" we receive. If we dislike the "facts" we tend to only read or desire to acquire new facts on them to fortify our dislikes. But, if we like them we wish that in some small corner of our life we would have the chance to meet them, talk to them, and see if we really would like them on our own.

A perfect example of this for me is Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. I saw them interviewed on the Oprah show once and started to fantasize about what it would be like to be their friends. To have dinner and play a good came of "Settlers of Catan" with them. "Wouldn't you like to do that with anyone famous?", you might ask. The answer, "No not really". There was something in the interview that intrigued me more than usual. They seemed normal, real, and very much like someone I would chose to be friends with. Yet the sad fact is that they are on such a different realm of the social ladder that it would never happen. They are untouchable in my sphere.

Now that I have started blogging my "untouchable" friends have expanded beyond the celebrity bubble. Us bloggers all have them. They are the blog that you happen to come across when you are "blog surfing". You have been at it for 20 minutes or so and can't remember who they are connected to that you are connected to, but you like them. You find their post intriguing and riveting. You save them on your "favorites" list and visit them on a daily basis. They of course have no idea that you are doing this. They continue their lives and blogs totally unaware of your existence, yet you get something from theirs. You anxiously await their blogs just as much, if not more, than others you do know. Strange yet fulfilling. You want to email them, comment on a post, but there is some degree of fear involved. Will they think you're psycho? Will they respond? You have so much invested in them that you really don't want to know the answer to those questions and don't know if you can risk the rejection. You so want to be a "part" of their life, but don't know how to go about doing it. The admiration is so one sided.

I guess one has the choice in this situation to close the untouchable gap. To take a chance. Go for it. See if they are really the person you think they are. Reach out into the black hole with risk of only a void in return. And yet, that is not the outcome one truly fears. The outcome feared and the biggest risk comes in receiving that long awaited touch and thus dispelling the appeal and the draw of the untouchable.