We used to sing that when I was a little girl in the Brownies. We would sit in a circle and cross our arms to hold hands with the girls next to us. My mom was one of the leaders, volunteering in the hopes that I would make friends and enjoy Girl Scouts as much as my sisters did. I didn't. And I didn't.
Not because I didn't try. I think it just wasn't meant to be. We moved soon afterwards.
The problem with the above song is that not all "old friends" want to remain friends. People today are temporal. We want to be friends with those who are tangible...right there in our sight.
We've moved from two different churches over the past few decades. We spent 18 years at the one and 12 at the next...and in both cases the people we thought were our close friends dropped us, forgetting us like we never existed.
It's not that they were trying to be mean. We just weren't there anymore. So, out of sight, out of mind...and heart.
It makes a person a little heartsick to think that we meant that much to them.
And it's interesting, given the amount of free social media options out there, that our friendships couldn't keep going. We have email, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Yahoo! Instant Messenger...etc.
But it takes work to stay in touch. Not everyone has that strength or the stamina. And sometimes we're so busy with our own lives that we forget. (I'm just as guilty as the next person for that.)
Where's that leave me and my little Brownie song?
Pretty much singing alone with my arms crossed and no one's hands to hold.
Maybe it's time to get off the social apps and start again...in person? Find new friends, who like me, need a little silver.
Maybe it will be a silver lining in the clouds.
But how does one go about finding new friends as an adult? Any ideas or suggestions?
To be continued...
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