...That's What She Said

Back when I was 17 and leader of a brownie girl scout troop, I closed each weekly meeting with a circle of hand holding while singing, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold". That was probably one of the more important things I taught those girls... even more important than how to make the camper in the top bunk pee in their sleep or how to tip over a canoe. This memory came to me today because an old friend that I'd lost touch with recently re-found me on here and we've started catching up. This of course happened the week following my curious search for new Volusia County friends during one of my cabin fever moments during Jackson's nap time. I was getting so frustrated with little to do besides chores and neighborhood strolls because I've never been in this position before. I've always been a full-time employee somewhere, typically one putting in overtime. I've worn suits and collared shirts to the office for at least eight years. Wearing my pajamas past noon was making me feel like a complete bum... you'd think the lack of income would have done that, but no, it was actually the lack of showers in the morning. At the same time, I was also loving all the quality time with the boy. Being the one to actually hear every adorable new sound he made and see each one of his smiles was way, way, way better than hearing about it from a nanny. Feeling torn in two directions, I began to wonder if our household would survive if I just worked part time. With summer fast approaching, Jason's business should be booming. He's already landed quite a few new spring accounts... so I started to think that we could swing it. As most of you know, the Universe came through and gave me something better... a legal assistant position that is 80% telecomuting for a near paperless office. This week, I've starting building an organizational system for the electronic files and am testing the user-friendliness of the software we'll give our clients access to... and best of all, I've been doing research for my first company blog about going Green. I also got a response to my photography ad on Craigslist and was hired to take a headshot of a psychologist for his website and business cards. All of this has been possible while remaining a full time mom (with Jason's help, of course). Back to the friend thing, I know that my work will continue to pick up and I'll have a lot less time for boredom during my weekdays. As for my weekends and nights, I'm really one of the lucky ones. I feel rather silly for thinking that I was all alone out here and needed to find some new friends fast. Don't get me wrong, you always has room for new friends, because you can never have too many (or can you? That's a question I'd have to ask Jonathan...hehe). What I feel silly about is the fact that I felt abandoned when I've got a bunch of out-of-state girls who text and write me regularly and a great group of Orlando peeps that have been just as good about driving out here to see me as I have been driving back to see them. In fact, I currently have a massive amount of babyback ribs occupying the entire bottom shelf of the fridge in a homemade marinade for a pre-Wolverine movie BBQ tomorrow with one of our favorite couples to double date with. As for those I haven't actually seen much of since I moved away from O-town, thanks to my friend Tori, I have been reminded that any good friend I've lost touch with recently can easily be reconnected with again. This perspective helps keep my feelings of missing certain loved ones at bay. In the meantime, while it would be nice to have at least one friend who lives less than an hour away, I think I'm done freaking out about not knowing anyone in Daytona. If a find some silver, it'll be a bonus in life, but I'm glad I realized that I don't need to use a proverbial metal detector to go searching for it when I've already got access to so much gold.