We are all busy. Careers, kids, husbands… women today do-it-all. I work full-time so my family is my main priority on the weekends. We all need to take time for ourselves, but what about time with friends?
I feel pretty lucky that I live where I grew up. Many of my friends who I have known since middle school are still nearby. Soon after we all started having kids, getting more demanding jobs, and just taking on more responsibilities in general… I noticed those girls nights out and lunch dates started to taper off. And that is totally normal. But the few times we would all get together, we would have SO MUCH FUN!
So now, in the daily to-do’s and priorities in my life… I always make sure to include my friends in the mix. Everyone is busy. We can always say we don’t have time to meet up and it wouldn’t be a lie. It may not be as easy as it used to be, but with a little extra effort and some planning you can make sure the friends who are near and dear to you… stay that way.
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| Yes, my friend scheduled our dinner date with her Google calendar! |
When I am feeling stressed and worn out, no matter how much I don’t feel like going, a quick dinner with my close friends, or even just sneaking away for a spin class or pedicure together… can make all the difference. I always feel refreshed and revived after spending a few hours with my girls.
It turns out, keeping those friendships is good for your health. A number of studies have found that friends help you fight depression and illness, speed recovery, and even slow the aging process and help you live longer! That’s pretty amazing!
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| I have known these two girls for more than 20 years! We just had to recreate our kids pose! |
Now that my baby girl is a little older, a least twice a month I make plans with my friends. Usually its on a weeknight, since we are all pretty booked on the weekends with family stuff. When that doesn’t work, sometimes we will plan a play date with our kids. We may not get to fully catch up, since we are chasing around kids, but just hanging out for a few hours is all you need. (and then your children become friends as well, which is an added bonus!)
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| No sitter? No problem! |
So make time for your friends. Right now, schedule a date with a close friend. If they don’t live near you, give them a call. Be sure those who are closest to you know that you still care and think about them. Share some wine, a laugh, a cry… whatever. It does take effort, but it is worth it!
I can't wait to get some girl time in when we go home on vacation. It's hard being stationed all over and trying to make friends.
I can only imagine how hard that is! That's why I feel like I have NO excuse to make the effort, most of my friends live within 30 minutes of me.
Thank you to your hubby (& YOU!) for your sacrifices and service!
agreed. on all points! i like how you "write" on your photos! how do u do that?
Its an app called a Beautiful Mess. I write almost all of my posts using the blogger app on my phone… so I just upload pics right from there. I'm lazy. 🙂
Spending time with friends is so important. I must admit I don't do it as often as I should. I guess I better make a few calls! 🙂
It's tough! But I always feel so much happier afterwards… I think "Geez.. I need to do this more often!" then I wouldn't! 😉
Thanks for linking up last week to Friday Favorites! Hope to see you this week too! Love this! Just got back from a 5 day vacation with my best friend and our spouses, sans kids. Feeling so centered!
I am so jealous! That sounds like an amazing vaca! Thank you for stopping by! 🙂
Love great friends! It is important to take time to connect with them. Thanks for sharing!
thanks for taking the time to comment Camille! happy 4th of July! 🙂
I love that photo…from Sweet Home Alabama? "You have a baby…in a bar?!" We are taking ours to happy hour tomorrow. Great post…as always!
Yes! Totally Sweet Home Alabama.. love that line! Have fun at happy hour… Cheers!
I miss spending time with friends. Something I don't do enough of. I feel so recharged after a night out with the girls! Thanks for the inspirational post!
You are so right! I am constantly struggling with balancing work, family and friends and I always feel much better when I put the effort into making sure I get enough friend time.
I've definitely got to learn to make time to see my friends more often!