I’ve always felt that my virtual friends were more compassionate, kind, understanding, encouraging than anyone I know in real life.
Daphne, you may not know this,b ut during the year my husband was out of work, and the whole neighborhood took a cold shoulder to us as if we were contagious, it was you that I checked in with every day.

I wasn’t lonely, b/c of you.

Unlike so many other blogs,you’d comment back. It was communication. It was belonging. It was not being alone.

Bless you for what you did for me last year.

I’ll love you always for that.

just found your blog/vlog; have binged on a zillion of your videos and love them all; you just make me giggle and you’re truly insightful. this is one of my favs – so true!!

single, married, kids or no kids – we all watch a s&*t ton of ‘dancing with the stars’ and ‘intervention’ and imagine everyone else is frolicking around a bonfire together laughing it up and slapping each others’ backs with glee. but they’re on the couch, too…

here’s to being proactive!

Sally, thanks for the link. I think friendship famine is a cool term. there was a good comment there about instead of longing for a friend be pro active yourself. Just met a new neighbor–was so excited.
We talked about how we all want to connect but everyone is afraid to bother others. why? how did we all get that message?

I hear you who say you have to work to make friends. It’s harder because we may not have the energy. you do have to date friend. Lisa, you can make some mommy friends, but that’s a bit of luck too. I have two buddies I made in my pre natal pilates class. They live across town so I don’t see them much, but I am somewhat connected! And I’ve picked a couple other mom friends up through play groups and such.
I hear you Karen about not seeing your neighbors. In our apartment I saw our 92 year old land lady every few days. We always talked and I miss that. I did just invite our neighbors over for dinner this weekend. I need to make more of an effort!
We are NOT alone in being alone!

Happy Friday everyone!

Gina Loya

I moved to Atlanta 1.5 years ago and I am so sad that I have not made a good friend yet. We know alot of aquaintances through church but no one to really get to know and hang out with. The getting hit by an asteriod comment is 100% true of living in Atlanta. Traffic is so bad around here that no one gets home before 7 PM and when you have kids, forget it…

I miss my friends in PA and get homesick for them. I miss real friends. And I have yet to meet a neighbor… that freaks me out. No one hangs out outside. Everyone has a gardner and no one mows their own grass and that is a BIG way for guys to meet their neighbors up north.

People are so fake here too – they say “let’s get together, I will call you” and THEY NEVER CALL. When you actually make plans to hang out with another couple. they cancel on you all the time too… Grrrr.

I am gonna place an ad for a friend on Craigslist – I am getting desperate. Just kidding, I won’t really do that.

Love your site, Daphne and congratualtions on your new pregnancy!

Between work and family (we each have local siblings), we find it VERY difficult to find time to make new friends. And the few times we have met people we thought we liked, it never seemed like they were trying as hard as we were (and, as in dating, no one wants to look desperate), and so we just kind of drifted away.

What I’m about to say is a huge compliment because i’m really not an LA kinda person. You make me want to live in LA, because I’d DEFINITELY be your friend. In fact, I “hear” from you more than many many people i’ve known for years .

This of course, brings me back to the ultimate dilemma: now that you are “virtually” satisifying my need for intimate girl talk (however one-sided our conversations! ), am I trying less with other women?

Hmmm…..

I’ve decided that making a new friend as an adult is kinda like the odds of getting hit by an asteroid — if all the planets line up right, maybe it can happen, but it’s a real longshot. I rely most heavily on college friends and family member (i have a pretty big family) for my social needs. Which always makes me feel totally lame-o.

I’m told by others that once your kids are school aged, lots of opportunities arise to meet people in a more real way. . . that’s what i’m banking on, at least!

also, the dog thing, that really gets you out and seeing the neighbors. then again, not always in the greatest outfits.

i had a neighbor act shocked when he saw me in real clothes and makeup as he is used to me in the dog walking get -up every morning.