Making friends is hard work.
And it gets harder the older I get.
It seemed so easy when I was younger.
It just happened.
I had great friends in high school and college.
Then life moved on.
Even as a young mom it was easy to make friends because what else was there to do except hang out with each other and talk about our "experiences".
I've always envied those women who have lived in the same place for a long time.
I imagine it would be easier to transition from that young mom time to busy life and still keep your friends.
Whenever I've moved its been harder to make friends with people my age.
And its not because people are not nice.
It's just that life is so much busier with older and more kids.
It really takes an effort to put myself out there and make friends.
Its just easier to deal with my own life and be alone.
But women friends are necessary for my growth.
So making friends, as uncomfortable as it is at first, is worth it to me.
Every time I have moved somewhere and put myself out there I have found other women willing to do the same.
It just takes some work.
But the pay-off for me is huge.
Yesterday I went on a hiking adventure with 3 other women and their families.
I think the kids had fun.
But, mostly for me, it was about making new friends.
Friendship, like anything else that takes work, brings me joy.