Gift of New Friends

Is there something you’ve always wanted to try but haven’t? Or maybe there is something you used to enjoy doing but now life has gotten in the way and you don’t find the time for it anymore? I’m finding that pursuing those things can bring you so much more happiness than you ever expected.

Let me back up a minute.

This past week, I had the opportunity to meet a great group of women to talk about my book. One of their book club members has been a friend of mine for years. In fact, she was one of the very first people I ever told about my dream of someday writing a novel. When my book was released, she bought a stack of paperbacks, had me sign them, and gave them to friends and relatives. When a group of those friends took a winter trip to Hawaii, they sent me a picture. They were soaking up the warm sunshine—poolside—and posing with my book.

This was the group I spent my evening with on Tuesday. I only knew my one friend heading into the get-together but we all spent a fun couple of hours together. It was a beautiful summer evening, also spent poolside. We talked about different parts of the story, and they pointed out specific parts that resonated with them. I loved that these were some of my favorite parts, too; bits and pieces of the story that have stuck with me.      

It was evident to me how strong the bond is that these women share. They’ve raised their kids together. Now their kids are grown and having kids of their own. Their families remain close. How blessed they are.

During our chat, someone pointed out one of my favorite sections. I thought it would be fun to include this small snippet here from the letter Celia sends to Renee in the novel because it speaks to the point I’m trying to make in today’s post.

Don’t give all of your time and energy to your work and your children. Save enough of yourself so you have the strength and desire to forge strong relationships with people who will light your days and carry you through to your own sunset. Don’t depend on your children to do that for you. They need to build lives of their own.

These amazing women are doing this. They support their kids and their kid’s families but they also have strong bonds with each other, beyond the initial foundation of their friendship. My mom did this as well. She surrounded herself with a wonderful group of friends. People she could related to and had fun with, partly because they were at similar stages in life.

Making new friends and meeting people I have so much in common with wouldn’t have been possible if I didn’t take that deep breath and dive headfirst into this writing journey I’m now on. It is becoming such an awesome side benefit!

I want this for all of you, too. You will meet new people you share things with if you make the time to try new things. I think this is especially true if you are in a similar stage in life as I find myself in. The kids are still a very important part of our lives and keep us busy, but they also need their own space. I can either mope around about the fact they don’t need me as much as they used to, which I admit I still do on rare occasions, or I can pursue something I’m passionate about and meet new friends in the process. I can reconnect with old friends. I can take Celia’s advice and forge those relationships. So can you.

I would love to hear your stories of how you’ve added joy to your days through your friends. I heard hilarious stories on Tuesday evening but promised to change the names to protect the innocent if any of their experiences find their way into future story lines in my books!
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Thank you all for your friendship.   Kim