This past week was pretty hectic. Somehow, while still working full days every day (except the one day I was out of the office to attend my first industry conference), I managed to prepare and throw two successful parties. Although, it was stressful, everything turned out really well, and I managed to learn a great lesson along the way.
Last Wednesday was my boyfriend’s birthday. About a week before, I decided it would be fun to get some friends together for happy hour after work to celebrate…and for some crazy reason, I wanted to make it a surprise. Somehow, it all worked out perfectly, and he was totally surprised. Then, on Saturday, boyfriend and I finally had an apartment warming party. We’ve been in the place for a couple months now, but just didn’t have the time to have a party until now. Some people weren’t able to make it, and we even had a few cancel at the last minute, but everyone who was there had an awesome time.
Aside from the fact that these two events were parties, and I had a major hand in coordinating them, there’s something else they had in common: the variety of people who were there. Friends from youth group, high school, and college came out for the surprise party, in addition to a cousin, and several co-workers. At the apartment warming, we each had friends from different times and places in our lives: high school, college, work, temple. Twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, single, in relationships, engaged, and married. In both cases, we were the common denominators. Most of the people had never met each other, but it certainly didn’t seem that way. It was amazing how well everyone got along, and how little awkwardness there was, despite the diversity of both groups.
I realized that this is one of the many things I love about being a grownup. From preschool through college, we go through various stages of friendship. Now that we’re out in the real world, living our own lives, we’re finding out who our true friends are. I’ve said before that a friendship is like a relationship. It’s a two way street, and you have to be willing to put in the time and effort to keep it going strong.
It was so awesome to see all of these people in one place. Many of them had heard about each other, but never met. It was beautiful how well everyone got along, but I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised. Each of the people at these parties was there for one or both of us. They were there because we mean something to them, and because they think we’re worth the time and effort. We share memories with every one of them, some more than others, but every one of them is important to us.
I recently wrote a post for the wonderful community blog, the (not so simple) life, where I discussed the “social” part of “social media.” I explained that there are some aspects of social media that hearken back to the days of middle school cliques and social stratification, but that there are also many things that make it different and better. In the grownup world, there are still defined groups and divisions, but for two nights in my life, the lines blurred. These amazing people, who we are lucky to call our friends, came together and had fun. It didn’t matter where they knew us from or who had known us the longest, no one was judged by what they were wearing or how much money they made. There wasn’t even a hint of immature drama. I don’t think I’ve smiled that much in a long time.
Have you noticed a blurring of the lines between groups of friends? What’s different about the friendships you’ve made since college? How have your relationships changed with friends from the past?
