Mourning the Playground

In some ways life was simpler when I was young. Back then you just sat in the swing next to someone and started talking. Either that or a random conversation on the monkey bars spurred a fantastic friendship. When I was in 4th grade there was a new girl who followed/ stalked me on the playground for about a week. When I finally gave up and stopped being wierded out by her persistence we became best friends. We were inseparable for years.

As an adult, for some reason, it's easy to be convinced that it's not that easy. I guess we're just more guarded. Tonight I got together with a person who I've been aware of for about 2 years. We go to church together. She just seemed really sweet and really neat to me. We decided to get together and chat. I had so much fun. I could just kick myself for not getting to know her sooner. I was right. She is sweet and really neat. And... It really was every bit as easy to befriend her as it was to make a friend when I was a child. I hope that I have the opportunity to get to know her more.

I think I've written before about the concept of "Secret Friends". I didn't come up with the word for it. A girl I once knew actually named it. It's so perfect. A "secret friend" is a person who you just know that if they knew you and you knew them you'd be tight friends. Most of the time "secret friends" are people that don't know you even exist. Example: Beth Moore and I are "secret friends". This sweet person I met with tonight was a "secret friend". We did know each other existed, but our lives just don't intersect outside of worship service at church. We'll have a change that. She's no longer a secret friend.