I have reconnected with many, many old friends thanks to Facebook.

It’s always fun when you stumble across someone you used to know through business or your personal life, but perhaps the most amazing thing, at least for me, is how little you have to say to those people once you reconnect.

There are at least four old bosses of mine among my Facebook friends. One makes a comment now and then on a post I put up. Another says nothing. And don’t for a minute think I am placing blame for this on the other people. Heavens, no! I’m the one who, after opting to make the connection, has nothing to say to the other person.

There are friends I’ve made during more than 30 years as a journalist. Folks I know from all the years I was a working musical performer. There are old girlfriends. I guess it’s always a shock to see someone I knew when she was in her 20s as a grandmother, but we really have nothing to say to each other, once we have acknowledged the connection.

Of course, I have many friends on my Facebook list who I do not know personally. In the beginning, I tried to avoid accepting as friends people who were, primarily, fans or readers. That got to be too cumbersome, though, so I just accepted almost everyone who asked.

Which means, there are many names and faces I look at on the list and wonder who the heck they are.

There are relatives and people named Six who are related in many convoluted ways; the Sixes have, it seems, never been an easy lineage to follow. My nephew assures me just about all of these Sixes are, indeed, kin.

There are lots of musicians, people I know from the old days, people I’ve met recently, some I don’t know but am connected only because we know the same people.

There are tons of cops, firefighters and EMTs among my Facebook friends. That’s from working with them over a long career, I suppose.

There are also many people I became acquainted with because of their service in the military. I’m glad they opted to become friends and stay friends when they stopped being active duty folks and became veterans.

I think it’s hard to categorize my Facebook friends. There are all sorts of fine people listed there, people I’m proud to know and happy to know. Some I wish I knew better, but, really —  who has the time?

That’s because Facebook has come along to provide a new social life for us all, one that requires devoting some time to maintaining, but not much personal investment.

We’re all too busy for anything else, aren’t we?