Making a new friend is like dating

Have you noticed that the older you get the harder it is to make friends? In fact in "real" life I pretty much have one best friend. I have tons of online friends that I have talked to for years but only one that I actually leave my house to visit with.
See I seem to have incredibly bad luck with making friends. I make a friend and then something happens like they move, run away with someone they met on the internet, sleep with my boyfriend or just plain stop talking to me for no reason. Growing up I moved constantly so I have no buddies that I grew up with.
For a while there I decided screw it I don't need a friend.
Then... I found out one of my Lost board buddies actually lived close to me. Close enough that I could meet her.
As we planned our first meeting at the mall I have to admit to being frightened. What if even after all this time of talking to each other online we didn't like each other? What if after meeting me she never wanted to talk to me again. What if she was a giant man and not a woman LMAO!!!
Lucky for me none of that happened. In fact she has become the best friend I have ever had. I was incredibly lucky and blessed.
But getting to know Sazy.... Creating a new friendship... I have to admit it is exactly like I remember dating to be.
You make plans to do something. Not a movie at first because you need to talk and get to know each other. You get the nerves as you wait for the day to arrive that you are going to the museum or where ever you decided.
Are we going to have fun? Will she think this is stupid?
You go to lunches. You go to public places. You figure each other out.
See! Dating a friend.
I guess if you ended up really not liking each other it would be like a break up right? One of those slowly stop talking things?
During Sazy and my "dating" stage we found out we had so much in common. A love of things ancient. A love of museums. A fondness for not doing what we are suppose to do. A habit of touching things we aren't suppose to. A love of hunting treasure.
Now... I consider her my best friend.
Do I have the desire to start "dating" anyone else? Not really. I feel like I won the lotto and I really don't think that will happen again.
But now I know that talking to someone for years on the internet gives me a different insight to them. You have so much more to talk about. You all ready have a bit of common ground. So maybe I will meet some of the others I talk to at some point. I mean I did meet another friend with Sazy that visited here from Tennessee and that worked out all right.
I have to admit to having a little envy for those people who seem to have this group of buddies that they grew up with. But I just need to realize that will never be me.