Making Friends

I grew up a military brat. People were always coming and going out of my life; either my family was moving, or my friends' family was relocating to a different base. I always relied on school to meet new friends, and when I got older and graduated from high school, college, and then grad school, I met friends through work. But now, as a stay at home mom, I find myself grasping at straws. How do you meet people?

I tried going to the public library for story time to meet other moms, but my kids are very, very  a little rambunctious, so that that was a fail. There was one mom I talked to for a little bit, but I convinced her to let her almost 2 year old go into the play structure at Chik-Fil-A.  Of course, the kid got stuck, and she did not react very well. I haven't been back since. It was more than a little disheartening. I remember leaving and feeling like I had ruined - RUINED - my ONLY chance at friendship.

Making friends is hard when you know NO ONE. It really is. It can be demoralizing and degrading and leaves you feeling like a 10 year old waiting to be picked for the dodgeball team in PE. I want to play it cool, but inside I'm screaming, "Pick me! Pick me! I'm fun!"

So, I'm trying to be brave. I'm doing things I never thought I would do. I'm meeting complete strangers. I went online to meetup.com  and found a group that sounds like it might work for me. I've gone to two meetups, and while the ladies there are not yet my BFF's, I know we are all in the same boat. We are all looking for friends, and we're not necessarily weird or hear voices in our heads or anything crazy like that. We are just lonely. We are looking for companionship. We want our young kiddos to have friends and play dates and grow up strong and confident and loved. Is there anything better than that?

I'm also going out for playdates with some of my husband's co-workers who also have kids around my son D's age. One kiddo even sounds like he has as much energy as D does (which is a lot!).

I'm hoping that by being brave, taking chances, and believing that every day has a new possibility, I'll be able to make some good friends - friends that I can laugh with, cry with, drink a bottle (or two!) of wine with. I miss being connected. I miss grabbing coffee with my BFF back in Spokane every morning at work. I miss the routine of my previous life and having a reason (really, a responsibility) to get up and take a shower and do my hair and make up every day. I know that will come with time, but until then, I'm off to make some friends.