The Importance of Girlfriends

A few weeks ago I shared that I was missing having friends around to chat with. 

I don't miss working (actually I liked teaching; I didn't like grading papers), but I do miss the people whether it were students or faculty or office staff.

I don't miss living at the other house, but I do miss calling Jane and running down to her house to sit at the kitchen table, sipping a steaming cup of tea.

I don't miss going to our home church (well, I do sometimes), but I do miss walking in and chatting with people until the service begins.

I don't miss living an hour away from everything, but I do miss running into Francesville or Medaryville and talking to at least 10 people I know while I am there.

I miss friends.

Today when I went to the Fitness Center, I was riding the bike, as I usually do, and Vicky came in.

She bustled over to the bike next to mine and said "I knew you would be here!  What's going on?" and sat down to pedal until our session started.

Then after we started our session on the bikes (because Megan the Trainer told us to stay put and we would being there), Debbie joined us.  It was her first session back after her return from over two months at Sanibel Island and visiting relatives on the drive to and from.

After our session ended, we three ladies stood by the lockers and continued to chat, then after Vicky left to return home, Debbie and I sat on the bench by the door and talked for over an hour.

It felt good to just catch up.  To talk.  To share what we had been doing.  To talk about friends in common (mainly Sheri).

After I left the Fitness Center, I stopped at Payless for a few groceries and ran into Debbie again in the checkout line.  It was fun to see someone I knew in West Lafayette at Payless.

I was reading a book about self-care a few weeks ago. Actually I picked it up at a Target we stopped at in Port Charlotte.  The first chapter is the only one I have completed, and I think I have tried to focus on this aspect of self-care and improve on it.  Social connections.  Friends.  Being out there and doing things with others.  Chatting.  Keeping the connections alive.

All of those things are important to one's well=being and sense of self, as well as a sense of worth.

I felt so energized when I came home.  I smiled because I felt like someone other than my family cared about me and was interested in what I had been doing.

It was fun to run into someone at the store that I knew and who was a friend ---in West Lafayette!  That doesn't happen very often, if at all!

Yes, family is important and my best friend of all is Gary.

But girlfriends?  They are important too!