Blogging, Friendship, What's Been On Your Calendar?

When Blogging Buddies Become IRL Friends

Retirement Reflections

When I first made the decision to begin blogging, I did so for a few different reasons. I hoped it would be a vehicle for me to:

  1. Record my thoughts and experiences as I transitioned into retirement.
  2. Keep in touch with friends around the world, especially since I had just returned home from living overseas.
  3. Add extra purpose and passion into my post-work life.
  4. Gain insight from others who were on their own retirement journeys.

As I’ve mentioned several times on this site, I didn’t realize at the time that blogging would thrust me into a vibrant community, help me connect to others, build numerous online relationships and then magically transform some of these relationships into deep in-real-life (IRL) friendships.

The photos above were all taken this past August. I’ve met each of the people featured (except for Richard) through blogging. Although some of them no longer blog, and many live far apart (up to 1466 mi/2359 km), we all remain in close contact. Janis, from San Diego, was the first blogger I ever followed. Despite living 25 hours away, we’ve met up on six different trips (three times there, three times here, and counting). Over the years, we’ve all made the effort to keep in touch and enjoy each other’s company. If that doesn’t define true friendship, I don’t know what does.

Bloggers who I’ve been fortunate to meet in person include: Janis (RetirementallyChallenged), Kathy (SmartLiving 365), Liesbet (Roaming About), Terri (Second Wind Leisure Perspectives), Judith (Dr. Sock Writes Here), Ann (The Unretired), Erica (Behind the Scenery), Sue (Women Living Well Over 50), Natalie (Natalie The Explorer), Deb (The Widow Badass), Joanne (My Life Lived Full / Following a Bold Plan), Susan (Swooning Grace), Fran (Travels with Fran) and Lisa and Rand from Randoneurds. I have also had regular online video chats/book club meetings with Debbie, Jo, and Leanne (plus Sue from above), and recently met Mona, a blog reader and commenter-extraordinaire who doesn’t blog but should!

If you are inspired to create your own blogger meetup, I have written about past get-togethers here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Phew! That’s been a lot of gatherings — especially since I have missed a few.

Feature photo: My first IRL blogging meetup with Janis in October 2016, Temecula, California.

What’s been on your calendar this past August?

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Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

82 thoughts on “When Blogging Buddies Become IRL Friends”

  1. Hooray for IRL friendships made through blogging, Donna! I have truly dear friends (Like Marsha Ingrao who is like sister from another mister), I count as besties! I need to get in on your annual BC bash when Janis and Kathy come up again. I really enjoyed meeting you in person in So Cal all those years ago 🙂

    Fun read–very heartwarming!

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  2. This is a wonderful testimony to friendship Donna, and I love that I now follow most if not all of your blogging friends too! I’m so fortunate to have ‘met’ you in the blogging world many years ago and can’t wait to meet IRL in the not too distant future – hopefully!

    Thanks for your friendship and support and Iove our regular video chats with the Stunners, long may they continue 🙂 xx

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    1. Hi, Debbie – I really had a hard time in this post, not putting your name front and center in the list of bloggers who I have met IRL. We have had such great chats, discussions and personal sharing together. If that’s not real life, I don’t know what is. And yes, 2025 is the year for our official IRL meetup! I greatly look forward to that!

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  3. this is a lovely post about connection Donna. Deb is the only blogger who I’ve met IRL but I have made so many friends. If o ever get to your part of the world again. I would love to catch up. Lovely to see all those happy faces on your photos

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  4. Blogging has been a wonderful gift for me although I haven’t made as many IRL friends as you have. One thing I’ve learned is that we can be close and share our lives without ever meeting face-to-face. That said, I have become IRL friends (close in some cases) with four bloggers, one of whom is now deceased.

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      1. He was an older guy named Gene (Hoss) who lived in Oregon. He was (in his younger days) a hard charging, hard drinking, chain smoking journalist who ended up unable to breathe in his later years. His wife Betty was the first person to use Oregon’s Death With Dignity law and he was the second. An extremely intelligent, articulate and funny man.

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  5. Hear, hear! So wonderful to meet blogging friends. One blogging friend I met a couple of years ago passed away not long ago, and that made our meeting all the more precious.

    If ever you come to Maine…

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  7. How lovely to meet all those people in real life! I often talk about ‘my blogging friends’ which gets blank stares from those who don’t blog. Maybe one day we’ll make it to Vancouver Island (we were supposed to go in 2020 but we know what happened then, and my brother has now moved to the US so probably won’t happen now.

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      1. Yes he has….after his wife died, he was really isolated there so is now living close to one of his daughters in Washington DC. Vancouver itself though is easy to get to from NZ – well, in our terms at least as you can fly direct from Auckland.

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  8. Blogging has brought many online friends into my life too Donna – but I don’t think it reaches the level that you’re at unless you’re extra special. You just invest your time and energy into people – it’s who you are, and your positivity and joy attract others to you (you’re like a friend magnet!) Thank you for being such a lovely blogging friend and for always jumping into my comments to leave an encouraging word. Keep putting your lovely self out into the world – we all need more friends like you. xx

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    1. I realize that ‘Retirement Reflections’ is a very unoriginal blog title. Seriously, even I could not believe it was available when I first typed it into WordPress. I am very grateful for the feedback that it helped you to find this blog. ❤

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  10. I felt like I blogged in isolation for quite some time before I found connections. I am hoping that next fall we can finally meet and have a beach walk together.

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    1. Thanks, Suzanne. I love that photo too. Jude has had a hectic summer with her daughter in the process of moving (from Vancouver Island to Prince George). 😦 She wasn’t sure that she was going to be able to meet up with Janis and then, quite coincidentially, we all saw each other at Yoga on the Beach. It was so cool! (And thankfully after that, dinner was arranged and Jude was free).

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  13. Hi Donna, this is such a lovely story of friendship. Thank you for sharing it. I only have three blogging friends who live in South Africa. One I have met. The other two I hope to meet when I eventually go to Cape Town. Currently, watching the turtles hatch in St Lucia calls me louder than Cape Town.

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      2. The wildlife that you are priviledged to see is amazing. I will trade you a black bear or bald eagle sighting (both common around here) for a baby cheetah sighting any day! Enjoy your turtle hatchings!

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  15. Wow! You really have met a lot. My husband just flew to NY for the wedding of a FB friends (too hard for both of us to go). So I do think the online can moorph to real life in losts of ways….

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  17. Sadly my comment was not kept Donna. I was asked to confirm my ID via wordpress which I did and then the connection expired with the blog. Grrr. Makes me mad..not you! Systems.

    I am so so glad you have found many great connections!

    Denyse

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    1. Hi, Denyse – I am so sorry that WordPress has lost your comment. I know how frustrating that is and hate when that happens. I just checked my WordPress pending comments, spam and trash. Sadly, your comment was not in any of those places.
      Thank you for commenting a second time. I agree that friendship (and family) connections are the stuff that life is made of!

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  18. That is wonderful! I’ve met and made a few IRL friends through blogging too and I feel so blessed to have been able to do so. It really is such a fun community to be a part of.

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  19. A huge benefit of blogging. I’ve been fortunate to meet up with some blogging friends as well in Ireland, Scotland, England, Spain and Canada. One day we should try to meet up when I’m on the west coast. xo

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  20. Pingback: August Highlights in 12 Photos – Natalie the Explorer

  21. Hi Donna, So wonderful to meet blogging friends. I love the smiles in your photos. If there is a blogger meet-up on VI in 2025, I’d like to join in. I really enjoyed meeting you, Richard, Jude, Ann, Sue and Mike a few years ago. #WBOYC

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  22. I’ve met some dear friends through blogging too, Donna. I don’t know a lot of writers IRL so it’s lovely to form those connections this way. And then we end up finding out we have so much more in common. 🙂

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    1. Hi, Lois – Thank you for stopping by and commenting. Your comment is so insightful. Whenever I’ve met a blogger for the first time IRL, I am always amazed how much they are exactly like I thought they would be. ❤

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    1. Hi, Sue – You are so right. Blogging friends do get each other. I think there are many factors involved in this. 1) The blogisphere is massive allowing us to connect with like minds and those who inspire us, while by-passing the rest. 2) In our writing, we tend to get down right to the heart of the matter – very little small talk or talk about the weather. 3) We share our stories, our histories, connect, reflect and respond. I believe all of this combined makes the base for solid personal connection. ❤

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    1. Hi, Anabel – I am grateful that Richard is the same as John in this regard. Richard has always been game to meet friends that I have met from the blogging world, and their spouses. He used to be surprised by how much we all have in common. But I think he is finally used to this fact. 😀

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  25. I love this, Donna! I have not met any of my blogging friends IRL, but I still enjoy the connections that I’ve made with people around the world. That has turned out to be the best part of blogging…and what keeps me going when I sometimes question whether I want to keep up the effort. I still regret that I missed you during my trip to BC. Maybe next time! Thanks for sharing the fun photos.

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  26. Even though I’ve only met up with a few in real life, I really value the connections I’ve made through blogging – it’s that which keeps me going when the blogging mojo is missing.

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    1. I value those connections too — very deeply.

      You are so right about the inspiration that these connections provide.

      Recently, when I have had days where I thought there is no way that I can make it on to the ‘morning mat,’ I know that others will be looking for me to check in. ❤

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  27. Thank you (thank you!) for expressing the reasons you started blogging. I revived my own blog just two weeks ago and have, simultaneously, revived my own spirit, alertness and delight. That said, as you noted, the blogging community proved to be the biggest surprise and source of joy.

    Good for you for cultivating so many IRL friends. Indeed, in just a few weeks, I will have lunch in Maine with Laurie Graves (who commented above). I hope to continue to follow your example! (And if you’re ever in Washington DC, look me up!)

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    1. Hi, Carol Ann – Thank you for this very kind comment and feedback. You made my afternoon! And that’s absolutely awesome about you meeting with Laurie Graves soon. I would definitely love to meet you both IRL. If you are ever on Vancouver Island, or in Vancouver, please contact me. If I am in Washington, DC, I will do the same!

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  28. Donna,

    I’ve mentioned before that you were the first person, outside of a few close friends to post a comment on Easin’ Along, and a I gained a entirely new perspective on blogging. . Although we’ve yet to connect IRL, I consider you a friend, and sincerely hope that Helen and I have a chance to meetup at some point. We were close in 2022, but COVID kept the door closed. You’re the best at this endeavor, and I hope you continue well into the future. Please stay in touch. Joe

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  31. Hi Donna – I’ve met one or two bloggers … but totally feel connected to quite a few more whom I haven’t met – and just feel I could give them a ring (email probably!) and make plans to visit … I feel we’d happily slot into a friendship … as if we’d met years ago and just come across each other again. Strange but true … perhaps it’s the curious minds we’ve all got … who knows – but blogging makes my life happier. Cheers Hilary

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  32. There are so many lovely bloggers out there and it really does feel like they are ‘proper’ friends. How lovely to meet some IRL. I’ve met a few over the years and they have been exactly as I imagined them to be! It’s a great community out there.

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  34. Isn’t it amazing the places and ways in which personal blogging can take you? I’m glad you’ve found a group of woman who like to hang out in real life. Who’d of thunk that could happen, not I when I began writing my first blog in 2004!

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  35. Sorry I had lost your blog link since I myself was on Vancouver Island back this spring.

    I just came back from Chicago and spent time with 2 different bloggers there last month. Interesting time to visit U.S. ..just before their election. I’ve met/spent time with folks from a long-time cycling international forum also.

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    1. Hi, Jean – Thank you for connecting again. I’m so glad that you found my link. It is wonderful spending time with different blogging friends — especially friends from slightly different cultures. I always learn so much! I am off now to reply to your Contact Me message. See you there. ❤

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