Learning To Be Okay (O-hay from my Little Miss)

Side note (at the beginning):My computer is down and having a hissy fit. So no pictures today. :)

Funny thing about 'growing up'... I'm still having to learn things. Sometimes they are my 'a-ha' moments, sometimes the realization that I'm still a 'kid' and sometimes they are just lessons that have smacked me in the face long enough that I've finally got the bruises of understanding.
I am in the midst (among many, many, many... other things) figuring out what I'm okay with. Okay with things about me personally, physically, etc.
Big one for me is friends. I grew up trying to be everyone's friends. Some took advantage of it. Some ignored me, unless no one else was around. Some actually were my friends. Some, we learned to become friends. It's been an interesting journey, I guess.
I am learning now that while my hubby is one of my best friends - he just doesn't get the girl things. I have also learned that I don't need a handful of 'best' friends. Just a couple. What I need are friends that I can do things with, call every once and a while for help and even a few who I can hang out with as couples.
The funny thing is, this realization has done a couple of things for me. It's taught me that I can do things on my own and it's okay. (Big realization from someone who is the oldest of 6 kids, worked as a nurse and have 4 kids of my own.) I was under the impression that you MUST do things with other people in order to have fun. Now, for the most part, for me, this is true. But every once and while, it's okay to do something on your own. Does that mean I'm going to hit a movie or go to a restaurant by myself? Probably not. But there are other things I can do and have done.
It's also taught me that I don't have to be invited to everything and I don't have to feel like it was a slight against me too. That's been a little harder to get over and I'm sure mostly a 'girl' thing. But I'm getting there.
I have also learned that I need to make my friends a little more of a priority. So when my knee-jerk reaction is to say "No", I need to find a way to say "Yes." Can't complain that I don't have any friends if I don't do anything with them, now can I?
So, I'm grateful for the myriad of friends that I have. Some that are great for a girl's night out, some that I share common interests with (you know who you are) and some that call to check and make sure I'm still alive today. (And that my children are too on the bad ones.)
Thanks to my friends. Thanks to the friends who let the hubby and I come and play on Saturday. It's fun to see the usual people I do things with and mix in some new ones.

To My Friends....