Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a busy week of writing and work. I did take a day off and spend some time hiking with one of my gal pals. It was so nice to meet in real life with a friend and go hiking. I appreciate these moments together and the deepening of our connection.
I appreciate my gal pals. It’s so important to make time with your friends. I’ve found through the years some friends leave to travel their own paths. Sometimes there’s a falling out that makes us sad, but inevitably, we find new friends whose energy is closer to our own. I feel we develop more authentic friendships instead of situational ones as we grow older. I’ve found some awesome friends who support me, and I support their endeavors. The friends I’ve kept along the way are the ones I just clicked with. They get my wacky sense of humor and enjoy the same things I do.
We have to honor the ebb and flow of these friendships. Sometimes, we can be extremely close and get together often. Other times life takes us in another direction for a while. The bond is still there, but it’s stretched to accommodate the distance we have to put between us. There are friends who’ve left me to pursue another path, I honor the history we have together and if we were ever to come back into contact, I’m sure we’d pick up right where we left off.
The circle of friends I have now, I value with all my heart. I have an artist friend who I’ve been spending a lot of time with. She’s showing me how to create some beautiful art. This is good for me because it’s another avenue for me to express my creativity. In our moments in her studio, I’ve shared details of my life and she’s shared details of hers. What I’ve noticed is that we’ve had similar experiences along the way, so we understand each other. She is wise beyond her years and I appreciate her wisdom.
I feel with the age of the computer, we’ve lost some of the ways we connect with our friends. Just working on a project together is immensely satisfying. There’s something to be said for those old quilting circles and I remember years ago getting together to play cards. I miss those days. I feel we’ve become lazy because we connect on social media now. It’s not the same. I believe this kind of loose connection is one of the reasons the suicide rate is rising. I worry about how future generations will interact. How will they make real connections over the internet?
I hope they’ll see the positives of the internet but also the negatives. I feel fortunate that I have the friends I have and we’re able to get together in person as well as connect on the internet. How about you? Do you have a circle of friends you connect with? What do you do when you get together? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!
What a lovely post. I’m glad you have a nearby circle of friends you can do stuff like this with.
Awww…thanks, Lydia. I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts. I consider you one of my good friends via the internet. I hope you have a circle of friends you can get together with as well. ❤
I have my BFF that we do lunch once a week. Another I meet at the Eagles for dancing. All my gum pals. It doesn’t make up for losing my husband, but they are there for me ❤️
I’m so glad to hear that, Susie. You’re right, they’ll never take the place of your hubby, but they sure are nice to have. ❤
For sure ❤️😊
Human connections are very vital since we are social being. We cannot exist in isolation. Either we will go back to physical interaction else the technology will evolve. In all likelihood, once things are back to normal, life will be back to the old days. Take care, enjoy these meets.
Thanks for stopping by, Arv and sharing your thoughts. You are so right. When things get back to normal maybe we’ll have more social gatherings. 🙂 My fingers are crossed!
Let’s hope so, Lisa
What a lovely post, Lisa! It made me miss my close gal pals–whom I’ve known for more than 20 years and live out of easy distance. It does make our connection closer, somehow, but I sure wish I could meet up with them for a cup of coffee more than once a year or so!
Me, too! I’m going to try and make my gal pals a priority right now. They add so much to my life. They are truly wonderful. 🙂
And…as if she knew the topic of gal pals was on my mind, one of my oldest friends called a couple days ago to suggest a girls’ trip!
How cool is that! I hope you have fun!
Lisa I too worry about the future of in-person interactions. Everyone is so “connected” technologically but so few people know how to interact face-to-face any more. I’m noticing more and more rude people because of it. Customer service is sinking into a huge pit of ugly because people don’t know how to handle one-on-one, in-person situations. It’s kind of sad.
I think we should bring back the quilting circles and the bunco games and the game nights and the whatevers that brings people together physically. The human connection is a powerful thing. Good for you for keeping in touch – literally with your friends. The world needs more of that for sure.
Patricia Rickrode
w/a Jansen Schmidt
Thanks for stopping by! I feel the same way you do and I’m going to try to have more face to face interactions for us as a family and for myself individually. I really miss my girlfriends when I don’t get together with them. 🙂
How lovely that you are getting to meet your friends. If I’m honest, being an introvert – something I’ve embraced in recent years – the pandemic takes away the pressure to socialize. Having said that, I do look forward to meeting some people in person. Unfortunately, we’re not at that stage yet, in India.
I’m an introvert also, but I have a few close friends that I get together with. The pandemic kept us separated for quite some time, so when we do get together, it’s that much better. 🙂 ‘
I don’t have a big circle but I did just have dinner with my closest friend after months of lockdown. It was so nice!
I bet it was! It’s so nice to get together with people we have a history with and walk down memory lane and laugh. 🙂 I’m glad you were able to get together. ❤