Girlfriends

One of the major challenges of working at home is socialization.  There's no one else here but the cats for me to talk to!  In my corporate days, I could head out to lunch with coworkers, and we could complain about our idiot less than highly intelligent superiors.  I'm trying to discourage Diva from calling people "stupid" or "idiots."  

Back to my original train of thought -- working from home does lead to some degree of isolation.  I battle some of the isolation by volunteering weekly at a Theraputic Riding Center:  

http://www.upreachtrc.org/ I have to admit I get much more out of this than I give -- great company, beautiful horses, and forced exercise.  I also believe so much in the work they do there and have seen so many success stories.  If you caught Extreme Makeover - Home Edition last Sunday you saw a similar program.  That keeps me socialized at least one day a week.  

Last night, I had arranged a dinner meeting with a couple of business associates I had not personally met before.  Both of them are still in the corporate world.  After dinner we were chatting, and something I said triggered a rather unexpected response.  This professional woman I had just met began talking about a serious problem she was having at work.  It didn't take long to see that she really needed someone to talk to  -- someone who understood the issues she was facing -- both on a professional and a personal front.  In short - Girlfriends.

I'm sure she did not come to this meeting with the idea of sharing her problems, and I didn't come to the meeting with the idea that I would be able to help her in any way, and yet in the end I made a new friend and was able to do just that.  

In the rush of the world we live in today, it is hard to find enough time to spend with our families.  It is even harder to find time to squeeze in some 'time with the girls.'  But don't forget to make time for your girlfriends, because they (and you) might just need each other more than you realize.