Friends

 The other day I went to help a mom with breastfeeding.  Somehow it made me melancholy.  Not the mom and her baby.  It just got me feeling lonely and feeling like I don't have any friends.

I have friends of course, but, aside from my sister and husband I don't do much fun stuff with friends.  Not sure if that even makes sense.  When the kids were little and dependent on me, we did things with other moms who also had little kids.   I had playgroups in many of the places we lived overseas.   

I miss that.  Not so much the chasing little kid part, although it was pretty nice most of the time.  I just mean sitting around with other women and solving the world's problems.

When we lived in Perth, all of the kids were school aged and I was not so up to my neck kids all the time.  But I did have women friends.  I was a room mum.  We had a weekly stitch and bitch.  I was in the Ladies Auxiliary at the kid's school.   I felt like I had a social life.

Now, we are retired.  The women who raised their kids side by side with me are all  off doing their thing.   Many if not most are grandmothers now.   I am feel left out and lonely.   

I spend too much time online.  Facebook mostly and emails.    (not sure what constitutes too much time).  

Then a lovely thing happened the other day.  I shared a post about parenting.  I cannot remember exactly - something about how we have made it through the hard part and now we re parents to these neat adults.

Well, a long time friend commented this: 

"you were mom mentor way back in the day. After I had one too many psycho moments in a day you suggested just start a journal and sell it to your kids when they are adults. Tell them it will save them the cost of therapy ( and help fund my retirement - my addition!) Seriously though you helped remind me that motherhood is hard work and we aren't going to proud of every step but we have years to work on the overall result. Thanks so much for mentoring and encouraging me"

 That made my day and reminded me that I am still a friend to many and I have many friends.   

My life has intersected with so many people.  Moms and babies who have been friends, or just someone that I was able to help and encourage about mothering and breastfeeding.

Yeah, that's what's important.