friendship — Blog — Hallie Sawyer

The Friendship Project

I’m at the beginning of my Open Nest Era. My youngest just graduated high school this past May and moved into his dorm just a few weeks ago. It still blows my mind, even though I've known this day was coming for 18 years.

In anticipation of this upcoming change in my life, I’ve started getting out more and doing “just me” things.

I tried joining a local women’s group specifically for women in the middle stage of life. I’ve been to a few group coffee dates and monthly meetings that give a recap of the past month’s events, share what’s coming up, a brief talk from a guest speaker, and maybe a fun activity to get everyone involved. It was okay for a while but over time, I’ve felt more “eh” about the whole thing. So, that’s gone by the wayside. Which is fine…at least I tried it.

I joined so that I could get to know women outside of my normal bubble and who are perhaps in the same stage of life because of one major motivation…

I’m craving female companionship.

EmpoweredHallie SawyerOctober 7, 2024friendship, midlife, open nest

The Friends We Keep...or Don't

l know that creating lasting friendships takes a lot of time, trust, and vulnerability and that there is no “hack” to making these types of friends. So rather than waste any more time, I’ve decided to make this a priority this year.

As I reflect on why I’m lacking, I seemed to have spent a lot of my time either alone, within the boundaries of my nuclear family, or with women who my kids share activities with their kids. Rarely, and I mean rarely, have I spent a lengthy amount of time with anyone outside of that.

To me, women friends are like an elusive animal. I only see them in pictures on my phone and never out in the wild. The “we should get together” suggestions never materialize into actual plans. But then I think that maybe I am the elusive animal, that maybe I’m the one that refuses to come out of hiding?