a friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one’s heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.”
- arabian proverb
there have been a few times during my three and a half years as a momma that i’ve come across [what justin calls] potential bff’s. and by this i mean that woman who you come across by chance who just looks like she has a lot in common with you. not becuase she’s wearing the ‘right’ jeans. or has the perfect blend of high and low lights. it’s in the little things; the way she speaks to her kids, the free flowing small talk that feels right-on. the similarities in the way you walk and talk and carry yourselves, the unknown overlapping of paths.
often justin – who very lovingly knows my desire for like-souled friends – will whisper in my ear or give me a look that says, well? go talk to her! or did you exchange numbers? ah, no.
seriously. why is this so hard?
i mean, i would consider myself fairly outgoing. fairly confident. i always chat with people i come in contact with, especially those potential bff’s at the playground.
but then what? what happens after you’ve had a lovely conversation about the similarities in your kids? about their names and how you chose them. about where you live and what preschool your three year olds attend.
today, i met a [seemingly] rad woman named becky. she was at a local playground with her three kids. her youngest was a little girl the same age as h. we chatted and danced the mom-chasing-kids-at-a-playground dance around each other.
she got ready to leave and [at least i] fought with the urge to give her my email address or exchange phone numbers. but how do you do that without seeming pathetic, lonely or a total spaz?
it’s like dating. but for friends. friending.
i wonder if anyone has ever met a wonderful friend because they offered up their digits at a park?
is it just me or does this happen to others?
becky, the rad mom from northwest park if you somehow read this…i promise i’m not a freak. and, ah, you can email me anytime at hannah@tothemoonnback.net. i’d love to grab a margarita sometime.
) 
