I've heard it time and time again: that at a certain age, usually after she leaves college, that it's hard for a woman to meet new good girlfriends. Countless articles are written about it; I've had my own acquaintances say the same thing. Google "adult women hard to find women friends" and you'll see countless opinions about why it is so hard.
I call bullshit. I don't get it.. As a woman of that age (after college -- how may years removed we don't need to get into), I've never discovered that to be a problem unless you want to use it a an excuse.
You want to sit at home with your cat(s) each night (because you know you have them)? Yeah, it's going to be hard to meet a new girl friend then unless that food delivery person you just ordered from is female and actually does want to come in and have the glass of wine you offered out of loneliness. But if you have interests and are not afraid of doing those by yourself and are willing to talk to others? It's ridiculously easy.
I know the excuses. I'm single; she's married. I don't have kids; she does. I work full time; she's a stay-at-home-Mom. Nothing in common, right? It's silly, honestly. Because those are surface things when it comes to friendships. Friendships transcend life experiences. In fact, I dare to say that's what would make you good friends in the first place. Who wants someone *exactly* like you are anyway?
In the 17 years I've been in Atlanta, I've moved around quite a bit. Sometimes by choice (ooh! raise! let's rent this sweeter condo!) and sometimes by circumstance (thank you, friend, for letting me move in for half a year when my company downsized and I was looking for work). I'm finally pleasantly settled in my own abode but in all those moves? All I ever met were great women -- all who are friends to this day. And I met one or two on each adventure. :)
Unemployed? I went out once to throw off steam and watch a Packer game and met my friend Jennifer, who just happened to walk into the same bar that day with a Packer jersey on. Four years later, she hosted my 40th birthday party in her home.
Jobbed-up again? Found a little watering hole halfway on my trip from work to home and met Tammy there when I had to blow off some steam. Found a fellow hockey fanatic who I'm still in touch with all the time; we went to a Thrashers game as "blue haired ladies" a year after I moved from her.
Another job took me miles away again, but I went out to trivia one night and met Penny. We threw back a beer or two, played some Keno and became friends. I dog sat for her; she helped me move to where I am now. Again, we still keep in touch.
And now, where I am, I met Paula, who just happened to be the girlfriend of the guy who lived across the street and was fortunate enough (for me) on a random evening to wander onto the front lawn where I was having a glass of wine in the summer twilight with another girl friend (who I met four years before based on a mutual interest of running).
Did I have everything in common with each of these ladies? Nope. Jennifer was practically engaged when I met her; Tammy is a home owner. Penny has been married for years now and Paula is my wild-child loving heart who's actually a grandmother. I have nothing of those things in common with them, but somehow it works. And it was EASY to make friends with these ladies. And they're all my true friends that I met LONG after those college days of "it'd be hard to meet girl friends after this." Even if we can't see each other as often as we want, they're my friends. I daresay they think it too.
So that whole diatribe about it being hard to meet good, lovely, quality women after a certain age? Bah. I call BS on that based on experience. I have no problem meeting good girl friends. Ignore those articles, my girl friends, my little sisters in my sorority, my younger colleagues. It's not a problem. For real.
Meeting men, however? Someone needs to teach me a trick or two on that. ;-)
