When was the last time you sat across from a friend over a good cup of coffee and got lost in conversation? Or have you laughed so hard with another person you had to hold your stomach? When is the last time you’ve had a good cry from pouring your heart out to a friend. Really, when is the last time you have cried at a coffee shop?
Good Coffee + A Good Cry
A few days ago I met up with a friend to grab coffee and enjoy a bagel. Of course I was looking forward to getting out of the house and hanging with another mom. But as I was driving over my mind started taking over questioning if I had time to get away for a little bit. I started to list all the things that I SHOULD be doing instead of heading to meet a friend.
The laundry was still in the washing machine.
I still needed to call our car insurance to change policies.
Two kids needed well-check up appointments scheduled.
The dishes had grown mold in the sink.
My to-do list was a mile long.
It is easy for me to begin to feel like I should be doing anything but going to spend time with another person. But every time I do, I am so glad I did.
Filling Up My Soul
I finally put all those “should-do’s” out of my head and made it to the coffee shop. And I am so glad I did. The time got away from me.
I connected with another mom.
I laughed and laughed and had a few cries.
Ok, I actually had several good cries. Happy ones and ones that expressed hurt and Loneliness.
And I remembered how good it is for my soul to have a friend.
My friend and I spent 4 wonderful hours sipping coffee and getting lost in conversation. And it reminded me that as moms we often forget how important it is to have another to enjoy spending time with and bearing our souls. I filled more than my coffee cup, I filled my soul that morning.
In-Person Friendship
I can become almost calloused in my relationships and friendships. Maybe I have become a little too comfortable. I can start to believe that I am connecting with people because I saw what they did over the weekend on Facebook. I made sure to comment on the cute picture of their kids. Or I sent an occasional text message to a friend. But staying connected to another person over the phone or social media is definitely not the same.
You don’t get to hear the high pitched laughter of your friend.
The raw emotion in a story being told is missed.
You are not able to reach across the table and hold that friend’s hand as they share the hardships in their life right now.
We have to remember that connecting needs to be done more in person. I know it is difficult to get together with other people at this time but we must reach out. We need to spend time together.
Go Sweet Mama
So, the next time your to-do list is screaming your name. Or you are feeling nervous about hanging out with a friend you haven’t seen in a while, can I just encourage you to go. I would bet once you are there you will forget about your list and remember how great it is to spend time with someone.
