Do you find building friendships hard as you get older? Friendships seem easy to build when you are younger and are in school. You are constantly around people your own age and usually, in a school setting, you are able to connect with at least one person.
All through my school years I always had one best friend. The friend varied at different ages, but they all had one thing in common, they were brunettes with strong personalities. It is really funny when I think back on it and why I was drawn to brunettes with strong personalities. But, my ultimate best friend, my mother, was just that, a strong brunette. There is one exception, my red-headed friend Cathy. You should check out her blog The Middle Page. She is the one who inspired me to start this blog.
After school, it became a little harder to make new friends. However, once I had children, I was able to connect with fellow mothers going through some of the same things I was experiencing. Some of my best friends today, I met through my children or doing what I love most, exercising.
But, as life goes on and people change or move away, sometimes you look around and think, I need some friends. This year I have been working on building those friendships. In fact, I just listened to the BEST podcast on “How To Be An Amazing Friend”. There are so many lessons to be learned from this podcast.
One of my friends started a book club and included me. I was thrilled. I knew most everyone in the book club, but not as well as I would like. We have been meeting for several months and I have gotten to know some of them a little better. I have also gotten to read some books that I would have never read. It has been a fun experience and I really enjoy nurturing these friendships. I look forward to our book club every month.
Some of the books we have read that I recommend are:
The important things I have learned about friendships over the years:
- Your true friends will always be there for you, they will never judge you.
- You can go a few days or a few years without talking and pick up right where you left off.
- There will be many friends come and go through the years, but they are all there at the perfect time in your life when you need them.
What are the ways that you are making new friends?