Did you invent imaginary friends as a kid? 

    My two best fictional friends were Chip 'N Dale. These celebrity chipmunks became my playmates.  

    “Don’t sit on them,” I’d yell, warning any unsuspecting adult.  

    I only pretended to see the characters running around my room. The adults in my life played along. Now, I’m not sure how or when I was introduced to these cartoon characters. They first appeared in television shows in the 1940s-1950s, before I was even born.

    But these two furry, smart siblings charmed their way into my circle of pretend friends.

    It’s common for young children to have had pretend friends, according to Web MD. The reasons are varied but often kids need a special person to listen and support.

    For me, the two mates appeared before I attended kindergarten. (As best I recall.) Maybe I conjured them up because I was lonely. My brother didn’t come alone until I was six years old.

    One of my favorite films was “Harvey” featuring Jimmy Stewart, who befriended a giant pink rabbit named Harvey who followed him around. In this 1950 film, Stewart’s character enjoyed Harvey’s company more than that of his own family.  

    That wasn’t my experience.

    Chip 'N Dale were friendly, quiet, and weren’t troublemakers.

    Today, my many imaginary friends in digital form have been obnoxious, loud, and troublesome. Pinging, ringing, dinging. Everywhere. All the time.

    But have they enriched my life with their constant cheers, reminders?

    I received a clapping hand emoji each time I logged my meals. An exercise coach texted commands like stand up, move, do the hokey- pokey (just kidding about that last one.)  If I’ve had a great exercise day, I’m treated to my skinny super hero avatar lifting off the screen.

    Woo-hoo!

        Another constant companion has adopted a habit of embarrassing me. She transcribed dictation in a way that has made me question her grasp of the English language. I’ve learned to proofread better before hitting send. More importantly, I have learned to laugh at her bungled messages but sometimes her racy interpretations often made me blush.  

    Now, a real live friend would apologize, right? Instead, she showed up for work without any apology. 

    I appreciate the confident voices of travel apps who have saved me from getting lost. Though when ignored, these voices take a testy tone with me. It’s their way, which is usually the highway. Over time, I realized they don’t know the short-cuts or the roads where a left turn is impossible. Still, I have continued to employ them for my safety and security.

    Speaking of security, we have a full roster of employed apps to monitor the inside and outside of our house. All the recordings starring foxes, racoons, deer, and birds captured around our home have been entertaining and solved the mystery of whose been chomping on the flowers, nibbling on the bushes, and prowling around our perimeter.  

    Could I sever a relationship with my fake friends? Of course, but I have grown accustomed to artificial company, however, they won’t ever replace real friends.