WILW: What article club taught me

The group at our last meeting.  Missing the lovely Jamie.

At our last article club, us ladies got together one last time over drinks and chocolate and cookies and discussed what motherhood means, what we think it will mean, and what we thought it meant.  Per usual, the discussion veered off from the topic into a hundred different directions before we found ourselves questioning how it got to be 8 in evening.

After everyone left, I sat down and talked with my husband about how I was especially sad to leave these ladies but eternally grateful for what they as well as article club as a whole had taught me. Admittedly, I wasn't expecting to take as much away from my monthly meeting experiences.  I simply thought it would be a nice way for some friends to get together.  It ended up being a lot more than that.  Here's what I learned:

Be intentional.  In life, in relationships.  To simply go out and try to make new friends. To pick good ones, the right ones.  To be present in conversations, to have deep conversations.  To actively seek out instead of curling up and letting opportunity pass you by.

Be willing.  To say "yes" to new opportunities especially the ones that scare you.  To go out of your way to be a friend to someone.  To call out your friend even though it may be uncomfortable.  To listen when someone is hurting.

Be open.  To new friendships, to constructive criticism, to others' opinions.  To have an open heart and to come from a place of empathy.

Moving to a new place with all my friends now out-of-state, I've carried these lessons with me. When a new opportunity presents itself and I'm hesitant, I think of these inspiring ladies and try to take the plunge in saying "yes".