New Friends

My daughter is so proud of me. I have a new friend. Just the fact that she giggles about it confirms what I know all too well... it really is a big deal.

I've never been one to make friends easily. It's not that I like being a loner, it's just that I've never been that good with meeting people. Maybe it's all that torment I endured as a kid. Red hair and freckles pretty much make you a daily target in elementary school and don't let anybody tell you any different. I know, I know... blame it on the childhood. Whatever works.

I've been labeled somewhat of a snob for what really amounts to a severe case of insecurity. I just never quite know what to say to someone I've just met or am barely acquainted with. Thank God for my husband. That man has seriously never met a stranger in his life. A testimony to his friendly nature lies in the fact that he is a tax appraiser and is well liked by tax payers, at least that's what I always tell him. People who cringe at the sight a tax assessor's vehicle in their driveway are offering him refreshments and invitations back by the time he leaves. We balance each other out nicely: he can talk someone's leg off and I know when to cut him off.

In our last house, I lived next door to someone who would become a very good friend of mine. The problem is that it took a few years for me to bridge the fence that separated our back yards. Once we got to talking, though, I looked forward to the times we would sit out back or go for walks and talk about everything from our husbands to our kids. It was around that same time that we moved. Now when we go home to visit, her house is always on my list of places I want to go.

History tends to repeat itself. We've been here for over three years now and I do believe I've finally made a friend just within walking distance of our house. Only time will tell the depth of what this friendship may be, but at least it's a start. As my daughter knows, it is a big deal. She asked me if I was gonna see if my new friend has a Facebook page. I told her not yet; she may see my profile information and get scared. Baby steps.

For now, it's just nice to be invited to someone else's house. I hope my husband doesn't talk them to death.