Hello Friends!
It's Tuesday. I think this might be my favorite day of the week. I have gotten thru the transition back into the week. The wear and tear of the daily grind hasn't pounded me down into a fine pulp, yet. There are no activities in the evening. It's a light homework day. Tuesday is an all around good day of the week.
What is on my mind today? Friends. Friendship, how do we attain that? I know others write about this and I am going to bring in some thoughts that I have heard over the years. I'll also tell you why I found friends to be so important.
Let's begin by being clear on what a friend is. It's not someone that Facebook suggests to you because you might share an acquaintance with some one. Those are acquaintances. They are people you might meet at a baby shower for the shared friend. They are not people you would call at the last minute to watch your children. A friend, a true friend is someone you spend time with. Face to face. Not face to Facebook.
Friends can be tricky, everyone has an opinion on how you should be a friend. Some people like to have a conversation over the phone with friends every few days, others can go months without seeing someone but than meet up and share an experience together and everything seems the same. Other people like to give and receive from their friends, other people do things for their friends. Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
Well, gee Ms. Katie, that's great. But how do I make friends? This is going to be life changing, wait for it... wait for it..... leave your house.
I am an outgoing person. I like to be with people. As stated in another post, I talk to strangers at the super market and park. I give advice to people at Redbox. At restaurants. Really anytime I over hear or see some one deliberating over a choice I will chime in. I regularly give my email and phone number to other moms I meet at play places or the park. But that wasn't always the case. I mean, I have always been outgoing, but I used to hold back from extending myself to strangers. Because it can be weird or awkward. I am sure there are people I have given my opinion to that would have preferred I just keep my mouth shut about what they should have for lunch. Or maybe they didn't want to know what I thought about their movie choice. But I wouldn't have the group of friends I have today if I hadn't been willing to introduce myself to people I didn't know. And then once the intros were made invite them to the park. Or exchange email addresses and have someone over to my house.
I know it can be scary and intimidating to introduce yourself to others. It's so much easier to just ignore the other mom at the play place or the library that has a child close in age to yours. We have things to do and places to be. I get that. But I think we can do it. Friendships enrich our lives. It's been proven that we live longer and healthier lives with friends. We need people to hang out with. Facebook is not enough. We miss out on something when we don't share our lives with those outside our family circle.
I challenge you today to introduce yourself to someone you don't know. If you feel really brave, exchange email addresses and send an email to them when you get home about how much you enjoyed meeting them. If you really did enjoy the time with them, if not that's ok too.
Have a great Tuesday!
Blessings
-K
It's Tuesday. I think this might be my favorite day of the week. I have gotten thru the transition back into the week. The wear and tear of the daily grind hasn't pounded me down into a fine pulp, yet. There are no activities in the evening. It's a light homework day. Tuesday is an all around good day of the week.
What is on my mind today? Friends. Friendship, how do we attain that? I know others write about this and I am going to bring in some thoughts that I have heard over the years. I'll also tell you why I found friends to be so important.
Let's begin by being clear on what a friend is. It's not someone that Facebook suggests to you because you might share an acquaintance with some one. Those are acquaintances. They are people you might meet at a baby shower for the shared friend. They are not people you would call at the last minute to watch your children. A friend, a true friend is someone you spend time with. Face to face. Not face to Facebook.
Friends can be tricky, everyone has an opinion on how you should be a friend. Some people like to have a conversation over the phone with friends every few days, others can go months without seeing someone but than meet up and share an experience together and everything seems the same. Other people like to give and receive from their friends, other people do things for their friends. Friends come in all shapes and sizes.
Well, gee Ms. Katie, that's great. But how do I make friends? This is going to be life changing, wait for it... wait for it..... leave your house.
I am an outgoing person. I like to be with people. As stated in another post, I talk to strangers at the super market and park. I give advice to people at Redbox. At restaurants. Really anytime I over hear or see some one deliberating over a choice I will chime in. I regularly give my email and phone number to other moms I meet at play places or the park. But that wasn't always the case. I mean, I have always been outgoing, but I used to hold back from extending myself to strangers. Because it can be weird or awkward. I am sure there are people I have given my opinion to that would have preferred I just keep my mouth shut about what they should have for lunch. Or maybe they didn't want to know what I thought about their movie choice. But I wouldn't have the group of friends I have today if I hadn't been willing to introduce myself to people I didn't know. And then once the intros were made invite them to the park. Or exchange email addresses and have someone over to my house.
I know it can be scary and intimidating to introduce yourself to others. It's so much easier to just ignore the other mom at the play place or the library that has a child close in age to yours. We have things to do and places to be. I get that. But I think we can do it. Friendships enrich our lives. It's been proven that we live longer and healthier lives with friends. We need people to hang out with. Facebook is not enough. We miss out on something when we don't share our lives with those outside our family circle.
I challenge you today to introduce yourself to someone you don't know. If you feel really brave, exchange email addresses and send an email to them when you get home about how much you enjoyed meeting them. If you really did enjoy the time with them, if not that's ok too.
Have a great Tuesday!
Blessings
-K
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