You’ve Got a Friend in Me

I have mentioned before that we have a weekly tradition of pizza and a movie night in our household.  It is something we all look forward to each week.  The only problem is that our movie critics (ages 4 and 2) are pretty selective in the films we watch and once they get something in their heads that they like, we watch it again and again and again.  We are currently on our 10^th viewing of “Toy Story 3”!   Lately, it seems as if the chorus of “You’ve got a Friend in me” is constantly running through my head!  While most of the time I think of it in the context of Buzz Lightyear and Woody, today I have been making it more personal, applying it to me. Do others have a friend in me? Am I a friend, a good friend, the kind I want others to be to me?  I think so. I hope so.  But what I also know is that friendships don’t always come easy, and the work that it takes as an adult can sometimes be more intimidating then it was when we were on the playground.

We need to know, especially us Mama’s, that we aren’t alone, someone has been through it too, and we need some friends to have fun with! BUT, you have to know your flavor.  And by “favor” I mean, what you bring to the relationship and what you want to get out of it. Are you the initiator, always thinking of fun things to do together and organizing girl’s nights or do you wait for someone else to plan the event?  Are you the listener or the talker?  Do you prefer a lot of good friends or just a select few deep relationships?  The answers to these questions aren’t right or wrong or even good or bad, but it does help to know yourself.

You see, Women and Friendships are like coffee and creamer: they just go together. Now, you might be able to drink your coffee black (and I commend you for that) but I have to have my coffee with creamer in the morning.  It is a lot like my friendships, I have to have them.  Having friends who know me and understand me is critical to my well-being and my guess is that you feel the same.

This weekend take some time to evaluate the friendships in your life and what kind of friend you are.  Is everything right where you want it to be? Fantastic!  What do you think you are doing to have things go that way? On the flip side, are you lonely, wishing for something more?  Then ask yourself what you could do to change that and where you may need to step out of your comfort zone to really get to know someone.  What really encourages you?  Could you do that for someone else?  Do you need to change up your routine a bit to meet some other women?  (Like maybe attending or getting on the wait list for our SMB Girl’s Night Out?) 🙂

Woody and Buzz Lightyear are the best of friends not because they are exactly alike or because they always agree on everything but because they know that they are there for each other and life is just better when the other one is around.  Mama’s we need this too, after all:

You’ve got troubles; well I’ve got ’em too

There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you

We stick together and we see it through

You’ve got a friend in me

 

Tracy Carson is a Licensed Associate Professional Counselor, a wife to her Prince Charming whom she has been married to for 8 years and a Mom of two precious boys, 3 and 1.  Tracy has a passion for helping women feel beautiful inside and out and works hard in her faith based counseling practice, Professional Counseling Associates,  to encourage her clients to feel the freedom to be comfortable in their own skin.  She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and counts it a privilege to come alongside of women as they overcome the stress that can come with new life transitions. Find her on the web at https://www.pcaaz.com