I tend to be a fairly introverted person and making new friends has never been easy for me. I prefer to peruse social media, spend time with my family, curl up with a good book {and my cats}, and stay at home rather than go out to social events. But six months ago I stepped completely out of my comfort zone after a random Facebook thread in a local mom’s group.
A simple “like”
There had been a few posts in a local group about preschool referrals, and being so pleased with our little school I shared our experience every time. After some ‘likes’ and comments to my reply from one fellow mom, I decided to click on her profile to see if I recognized her. And, of course, I did. But what I saw on her profile picture made me send her a message.
She was a gestational carrier – and while I didn’t know the story behind it all, I did know that she was doing something completely selfless and incredibly amazing. My guess is it was my personal experience with infertility that compelled me to reach out to her.
And I’m glad I did.
I felt awkward, anxious even. What if she thought I was a complete lunatic? What if I was too weird or said something she didn’t agree with? All those what-if scenarios played out in my head, but in a matter of minutes, I had received a reply. Our first time ‘talking’ and we sent messages back and forth for almost an hour. Our messages continued throughout the week, and before long we exchanged phone numbers.
Over time, our friendship grew and we discovered how much we had in common. She has been my biggest cheerleader, and my shoulder to cry on during some of the most difficult times this year – most notably the death of my beloved Willie cat. Not once did she make me feel ridiculous for being so incredibly lonely and unhappy without him. She accepted me, quirks and all, and encouraged me to step outside of my comfort zone even more by attending a social event with other moms at school.
I am incredibly thankful for her friendship for so many reasons. Although I’m still horribly homesick for Texas, living here is more tolerable these days because I have her family in my life.
Just a text away.
I can vent any and all of my frustrations to her without fear of judgment, and she tells me things I need to hear. She’s encouraged me to be more optimistic, and that alone I’m thankful for. I smile more, say hello to others at school, and am generally much happier.
Thank you.
Thank you, Cat, from the bottom of my heart, for being you. I am so glad I stepped out of my comfort zone that night. You’ve made my life so much better because you’re in it, and I know that I’m not the only person that feels that way.
Lesson learned:
Sometimes stepping out of your comfort zone can be a really good thing.
