Lessons I Have Learned From My Girlfriends
For over 23 years I had one best friend. I thought I was happy but as my Mom told me,
“It is better to have a basket full of friends than only one friend.”
I didn’t understand what she meant by this until that one good friend suddenly changed and things went so far sideways I still couldn’t tell you exactly what happened.
Thanks to blogging, I’ve met so many great new friends that have stepped up and not only filled the gap that was left behind but provided valuable insight and varied views of the world. In retrospect, I can see the benefit of many points of view over one single myopic view. Opening up to more people can be daunting, as we are allowing ourselves to be vulnerable but the benefits have far outweighed the risks for me.
My basketful of girlfriends have taught me so many lessons which help me daily and I am grateful for their presence in my life.
I thought I’d share some of those pieces of wisdom with you today.
Sylvia
Be aware of your weaknesses but choose to focus on your strengths.
Greetje
Try to make one person laugh every day.
Anja
Decorate you life as your canvas and don’t be defined by your limitations.
Melanie
Have fun! Who cares if people stare?
Sue
Consider what you say carefully before expressing yourself.
Sherry
Show kindness and empathy to all.
Patti
An excellent listening ear and a good sense of humour are traits everyone appreciates.
Ally
Small tokens of thoughtfulness are never out of fashion.
Hazel
No matter how well you think you know someone, even after many, many years, you never really know them.
Do you prefer one best friend or a basket full of friends?
Certainly I agree that each of these bloggers are inspirational and have their own wisdom to share. Empathy and listening are particularly valuable skills right about now. I do enjoy each of these sites and agree also about the value of both friendship and laughter.
For myself, I prefer a small but precious basket !
❤️❤️❤️
Elle
https://theellediaries.com/
Oh, Suzanne! I have misty eyes reading your post today, partly because of my inclusion in your lovely basket and partly because you have so beautifully demonstrated just how much love surrounds you. This reminds me to look around at my own basket and it touches my heart to see all the incredible women who arise in my mind. Thank you for this lovely image and heart-boosting post.
Hugs,
Sherry
http://www.petiteover40.com
i never had a BFF – but always a bunch of girls around me. girls who helped, from which i learned – and vice versa.
because i know the blogs of your friends, i know how gorgeous they are – you´r so lucky to have meet them face to face!!!
xxxx
Wow… I’m honored. And deeply touched. Your friendship means THE WORLD to me!
Lovely post and lovely basket of friends, you’re a lucky girl!
I’m grateful because of my best friend, even if we don’t have not so much time to chat and have fun as we were used to (she’s now mother of three!). Taking different paths in life could pull us apart, but we’re still close.
Anyway, I like to meet people, lots of them, and chat with almost everybody around me. That’s the way I make friends without even noticing, but it becomes more difficult as we age. I moved to this city some years ago and I’ve barely made two friends. But I’ve met and become friend with more people through blogging!
besos
I’m still appalled that your so-called friend treated you so badly. I’ve never met you (yet!) but you come across as warm, genuine and bags of fun. there’s nowt as queer as folk, eh?
I’m delighted that, like me, you’ve forged brilliant friendships through your blog. It’s a wonderful way of connecting with like-minded women.
Me & my best friend, Liz, have been mates since we were 5 (nearly 47 years – eeekkkk!) xxx
What a great way to look at this. I’m more of a basket girl in this respect. It’s always a treasure to hear so many different opinions and perspectives on everything.
I will stick with one husband though—that would be weird…
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Having gotten to know many of these women through their blogs and having even met a couple of them, it’s easy to see how very fortunate you are to live within the love of this uniquely wonderful tribe.
Ah, how sweet! Thank you for including me. After having had such a good time here in The Netherlands as well as in Vancouver, it is a shame we are so far apart. I wished they could invent telekinetic transport. So we could move all over the world just by putting our minds at work.
Your wisdom for me has been: “do the world a favour and shop second hand more often and never buy fast fashion.”
I am not there yet but I am trying more and more. I am much more conscious. Like I bought a really nice sweater online without looking at the site much. Later I looked closer at the website and thought “Hmm.. this doesn’t look very sustainable.” So I won’t order from them again. And shops like Zara and H&M are now off my radar. That is your doing and Michelle Tyler’s doing. The both of you made me a more conscious shopper.
Greetje
I’m honored to be included in the basket. You have the power to attract good people everywhere you go, and I share your affection for this whole basket. The “friend” who left you is missing out on the best! See you soon, not soon enough! xox
-Patti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
It must have been devastating when things went wrong with your best friend of 23 years! I had serial best friends until I graduated from high school, and I’m still in touch with only one of them, although we have kind of drifted apart. Instead, I now have a basketful of friends, most of whom I have known for many years. There’s one friend I’ve been to school with, and hadn’t seen or heard for about 30 years, until we bumped into each other … on Facebook! I did find it hard to make new friends, until I started blogging, even if I haven’t met most of you in real life! I always thought it was a myth that you could make friends online, but it’s true! xxx
So glad to be in your basket, Suzanne, as you are in mine as well, our souped-up baskets that pop wheelies and take us to cool places. I have learned so much from my friends through the years. Even with friendships that have not ended well, the lessons endure. Who would have thought that blogging would have brought us here?! xo
Life will be weightless given that friends are there to guide and also support you with the things you do. Your girlfriends are delightful to have. Great inspiration from great people.
StyleSprinter Blog by Katya Bychkova
All pieces of good advice from some very cool women. I’ve always liked having a “Best Friend” that I shared everything with, but also other friends that were connected to different areas of my life. I have my work friends, my friends who I will socialize with, etc. I find it gets harder to make friends as we get older and our lives are filled with work, relationships, families, etc and I had a period of time in my 40’s where I felt I didn’t have many friends. Fortunately, that changed when I started blogging and was able to connect to other women of similar ages and interests. I feel like I’ve acquired a basket of interesting and creative friends!
Thanks for including me, gal. You know u r in mine as well, right?
I was very, very lonely as a child. Only from 18 onwards I started to create my own friendships. It became a big basket, since I’m loyal as h*ll. So once you’re in my basket, you’ll most likely stay there for the rest of our lifes. I moved many times, and each new ‘period’ brought new friends, adding onto the previous ones. Hence the big basket.
I have gone through some rough patches in my life, but my friends have always been my rock. They are so, so important to me!