Sweet Success!
20 Sep 2011 2 Comments
in How to Find Forever Friends, Monthly Friendship Plans, Musings on Friendships, The Friendship Meter Tags: building relationships, college orientation, finding friends, graduate school, making friends, meeting new people, OSU, small talk
So perhaps it’s cheating, but today I went to a few orientation events for the grad program I’m starting at OSU. And, surprise surprise, I probably struck up a conversation with at least 1/2 a dozen other grad women.
I’m divided as to whether this counts or not – after all, they were all there to meet people and get to know the program, too, so we weren’t wholly disinterested parties with no need or motivation to meet each other besides being friendly.
Regardless, I met a ton of new people and started some promising relationships, so I’m counting it on the Friendship Meter!
I can definitely sense who I may like to keep getting to know (some more so than others!) and I’m looking forward to a few opportunities to do so.
All in all, a successful day of friendly chats and promising starts. Now for rekindling some old friendships (which can be even more awkward than starting new relationships out of the blue)!
Meeting Neighbors, Making Friends
18 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in How to Find Forever Friends, Monthly Friendship Plans, The Friendship Meter, Why Friends Rock Tags: Adele, BBQ, making friends, meeting new people, neighbors
So it’s time for success story #1!
Yesterday, my husband and I decided to accept a casual invitation to attend a neighbor’s BBQ. We got there about the time everyone else was leaving, which was a bit awkward, since we had really only met one of the family members a few times over the fence.
We stuck around anyway, since they were so friendly and – POOF! – before we knew it we were laughing and talking like old friends.
I found I had a ton in common with the lady I had never seen or spoken to – we are both heading back to school this week. She works in a laboratory setting, and I used to as well. Plus, she loves Adele about as much as I do and we have promised to exchange some CDs for our mutual benefit…
Bonus: she laughs a ton and we had a blast.
Our “quick” neighborly visit turned into five hours of chatting, laughing, and hanging out.
Put up some points on the Friendship Meter, cuz this friendly chat thing may just work after all!
Maybe sororities have it right after all…
16 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
in How to Find Forever Friends, Musings on Friendships Tags: building relationships, college friends, joining clubs, making friends, meeting new people, sororities, sorority dues
I remember the first time I asked someone how much her semester sorority dues were. The price tag dwarfed my combined semester budget for food and activities of all kinds.
I was dumbfounded. All of that, just to belong to a group of ditsy blond fakes?
That might be a bit harsh, considering the fact that many sorority ladies are not blond, are very intelligent and successful, and are genuine to the core – but it was the stereotype I decided to maintain. There is nothing like poverty and a teensy bit of jealousy to make for snide and unmerited critiques. After all, I had gone to the opening night of Rush Week to check a few out, and had been pleasantly surprised with the variety of hopefuls and members, the wide range of club interests, and the overall difference between reality and the movies. Still, on the whole, I felt considerably less fashionable and less primped than my sorority sister acquaintances.
In retrospect, I know I also felt considerably less connected, involved, and supported than my sorority-member counterparts. I had an excellent group of friends in college, but they had a wide range of interests and I met them through tons of different activities, making it difficult to get everyone together for a single event. Dappling in different groups made for a nice variety of options overall, but perhaps too many separate groups to get really close to anyone in particular.
I used to sort of look down on people who joined sororities as a way of instantly making friends, but now I realize it wasn’t about “paying” for friends. The number and type of activities sororities sponsor in any given month allows for tons of social time to develop close friendships with people you come to really care about.
I realize now that it was about having a network available for forming friendships, with built-in activities, volunteer opportunities, and a great excuse to spend quality time with like-minded women. No more sorority-knocking comments will hereafter pass my lips (or keyboard).
I’m on a mission to meet new people, make new friends, and enrich my life. No judgmental nonsense from me anymore about the best way to do that!
