Having friends can be a lot like dating. I like it much better than dating though because as a woman, dating, we traditionally have to wait to be asked out by a boy that likes US. Not the other way around. Friend dating is much more fun because I get to do the asking!
Instagram can be a really weird thing like social media in general. Our networks are so much larger but oftentimes, liking another’s photo along with a comment here and there is the extent of the relationship. Similar to online dating, when you see a profile and peer into the lives of another you make assumptions about being a friend match! There’s no way to know if that is a true connection unless you take things offline:) This requires someone being willing to make the first move. Sometimes that looks like a direct message on Instagram, other times it’s asking a mutual friend for a phone number so you can text. Every time I’ve done it, I’ve been so grateful in the end for a new friend!
We often fool ourselves into thinking we don’t have time for new friends because we don’t make time for the friends we have! It’s easy to be tricked into thinking that the social media interactions are enough, that the run-ins at childrens’ birthday parties will do- well, I want more. Sometimes. haha.
I pride myself in taking good care of my relationships so I agree, you can’t have too many *close friends, however, I love people- they make my world go round and I think it can never be a bad thing to bring more in to your circle.
One of my closest girlfriends, Stacey and I met through a situation similar to this. Normally, I do the asking, however, she asked me to Disneyland for our “first date” as we like to call it and it went amazing! She’s hilarious and we got along great as did our children which is quite important as you fellow mothers know. That was years ago and now we talk every day, she was one of my bridesmaids and one of my all time favorite people. What if neither of us ever felt like the vulnerability of asking a new person into our lives was worth it? We’d be missing out on an awesome relationship.
As women, we rely heavily on our girlfriends for moral support through life’s ups and downs. I love my friends and I’m so grateful to have added a few new girlfriends in the mix as of late.
Have you asked out a new friend recently?