If you've been reading this blog for very long (or, say, at all), you've probably realized I'm not much of a social person. Given my own way, I'd stay holed up in my comfy house reading a good book, meandering in the back yard, or interacting with my kids. The thought of being "out there" with lots of people, even people I know, makes me anxious, even if I do force myself to go and end up having a wonderful time. My comfort zone consists of family and a small number of very close friends.
Finding those close friends, however, has always been a challenge. Early on, I learned that girls are fickle creatures, and friendship with other girls usually involves cattiness and drama. Growing up, I had one very good, very close female friend. Most of my other friends were guys, and I preferred the straightforward nature of those friendships.
These days, I'm somewhere in the middle. Overall, I think I'd still rather hang out with a group of guys than a group of girls, though my closest friends in the world are women. Even as adults and mothers, though, there has been a fair amount of cattiness and silly, juvenile behavior that drives me absolutely crazy. Maybe it's silly, but I'm surprised to see grown women holding on to the stupidity that drove the high school cliques back in the day. Are we women really that shallow, that we need to be the center of attention, or draw that attention to things we don't like about others? Why is it so difficult to focus on being the best mother and person we can possibly be and let everyone else do the same?
