SPT - Plays Well With Others

one of my favorite comments has to be "plays well with others." elementary school social skills speak volumes for the people we will become. were you a shy child? were you the class clown? the social butterfly? do you still identify with that inner child? what are you doing for "play" this weekend?


do you play well with others?

At first glance this seems like a fun self-portrait challenge. I have always been social and tend to make friends easily. I immediately thought of the great friendships I have been blessed with throughout my life. I love to play. I love my friends. I definitely play well with others.

But as the week progressed and I looked through old pictures and tried to find any newer pictures (I'm really not in very many. . .it's the mom photographer phenomenon) and the truth hit me. I've mellowed.

Mellowing doesn't have to be a bad thing, I guess. While I miss the carefree playing that is allowed and expected in high school and college, I certainly don't regret my life now. I suppose I could be one of those crazy, playful moms. I'm not. Perhaps I should be. It doesn't really feel like me anymore. I don't know if I should be sad about it. It feels a little sad. But isn't there a saying about a good wine mellowing with age? I guess I'm like a good wine. . .although I'm going to have to take another's word for it.:)

Here are some of my favorite playmates.

Jill (aka Babs) and I solidified our friendship over dancing, church and bad dates:) She is really a blast to be around and stuck through me through some pretty rough patches. Even when we haven't spoken in months and months, when we reconnect it's like we haven't missed a beat. We could probably still do some of the dances we made up together - or at least one specific move that we practiced over and over again (I know you know it, Jill!)

Erdie (Michelle) and I acted in our friend Kari's student body president's speech. I was the principle, Michelle was the vice principle and Kari wrestled us. Wow...the lengths we'll go to to hold office in high school!

My best friends in high school. Clockwise starting with me at the bottom: Me:), Lisa, Kari, Diane and Jill.

We never needed a reason to dress up...but I'm pretty sure this was Halloween.

I was always great friends with my volleyball teammates. You spend so much time during a season with them that even if you don't hang out on weekends, all the bus time and road trips makes for some great friends.

I "played" with this band for a summer. They were the Dixieland Seven and decided to add some vocals to a few of their songs. We even made an album! It was called Zizzybaluba (I think). I wish I could have sang with them more than a few times. It really is my dream.

Disco skating in college with the roomies (Michelle and Valerie). I was tough to live with in college so these girls were gems to put up with me. We had some great, great times.

Every wife of a med student needs a couple of good friends to keep her going. I had two great friends during those four years. Here's Libby...

and here's Christi. My sister-in-law whose husband did dental and periodontics school told me as we were starting that some of my life-long best friends would be made while we were in school. She spoke the truth. Going through it together cements a friendship.

Here's most of the girls and couples we hang out with now. None of them are wives of residents which doesn't really make a difference. Although sometimes it's hard because you know nobody really understands what it's like.

Andrea and I have been friends since I moved here but we've really bonded lately with bookgroup and blogging. I will miss her enormously next year.

But, my girls KariAnn and Andrea love to play as much as I do so I know that after this phase, I'll have more lifelong friends. At least we'll hook up and do some cruise karaoke every couple of years!