Finding a Friend, Just Like Finding a Date

Sarah and I started reading “The Care and Keeping of Friends” last night. So far we’ve covered where to meet people, what sort of friend to look for, and how to be yourself. It occurred to me, while reading, that making a new friend at 11 is very much like trying to meet a potential date as an adult.

As singles, we have to figure out what sort of relationship we are looking for – something serious, something casual, something long term. We have to get out there and meet people and places like club meetings, the park, or while doing our favorite hobbies work just as well for a 6th grader as they do for a woman of 25, 30, 40.

Most importantly, we need to be true to ourselves, no matter what age. Pretending is not going to lead to any sort of lasting friendship or dating relationship. You can’t keep up pretense forever and who would want to anyway?  It’s exhausting.

If you are a dork, be a dork, because there are plenty of people out there who appreciate dorks (like me… okay, I’m a dork, too). If you are a runner or a ceramics painter or a coffee fan or a dog lover or a movie buff, do those things that you love and while doing them, smile at the people around you, because you never know when your next potential friend or date might appear.

Image credit: Michelle Smith