I suspect this is a common occurence -- before discovering the fandom, some of us spend much of our lives feeling disconnected with our reality and the people we know, and when we do find out about the fandom, we're elated at the prospect of getting to meet a whole community of others who share the furry condition. We attend our first convention or gathering with such a positive outlook that we assume that simply 'being' furry is an adequate commonality for making friends and clicking with others. Unfortunately it isn't, and seeing groups of furs being social and not being able to connect with them is a harsh way to learn that lesson, especially for those of us who have shy natures. Thinking that we are socially deficient and either unable to make friends or unwanted as friends, the void that we were hoping to fill by connecting with others becomes all the much more intense. And once self-confidence takes a nosedive, there is little chance for making any connections at all, even if there are others that are receptive.

But it really isn't just those who are new to the fandom that can feel this way. Furs who have long been part of the community get depressed from time to time, because the particular kinds of connections they're looking for are lacking, or seem to be. It's important to remember that although we share a common interest as furries, we still need to find the right people to click with -- and timing, circumstance, and luck are big factors in determining who we connect with. With the furry community becoming larger and larger every day, good friends are bound to be out there -- but it does take a little work to find them, and a lot of patience.