If you’re an avid reader of my blogs, you know I’ve used this circle image before. After surfing through endless photos to post for this week’s blog, I decided to use the circle image again. This week I’m focusing on the friends I have and there were too many photos to choose from.
Ironically, though, the image fits well to this topic. The size of our circle of friends changes as we go through life. Sometimes, it’s not even a circle at all. It’s an oval or awkward square or some other shape.
For me, my circle probably has always been on the small side. As much as I want to be a part of the gang, I relish my tight tribe of people I know I can count on and trust. The ones that truly get who I am and how I operate are the ones that have managed to stay within the circle of my crazy, busy life.
My circle was big and expanding once. That was before COVID. That was when I could throw myself completely into my author world and be a part of an organization that had conferences. I did book show after book show after book show. I set author’s up for an author meet and greet once a month at a coffee shop. I helped find author’s for signings at a bookstore. I started coaching inspiring author’s through their creative blocks. Everything was running smoothly until a massive boulder landed in my path and forced me to change my course.
As I chiseled my way around that boulder, my friends dropped away. Now, it was in large part due to the world having to stand still as we all quarantined from COVID. All the events stopped. I realize not that the majority of my friends at that time were part of my author world.
The tiny cirlce that was left desinigrated as I tried to traverse through a new path. I was new a world. I had a job for the first time in my life that was a career and not just a job. I struggled in the beginning making friends in this new world. I was used to having a lot in common with everyone I was around becuase authors and creatives tend to have a common thread that’s easy to be connected to. But, instead, I felt I was the weirdo whose background wasn’t the norm for this career path and my passion for words was possibly a bit too nerdy.
It took me a while to be okay with the terrain of this path. Now, I find myself perfectly happy to have a small, close circle of people that I know truly accept me as I am. I don’t have to question everything with them. I don’t have to feel weird about being myself. I don’t have to deal with feelings of “outsider” syndrome. They are there for me just as I am there for them. I’m thankful for them.
*Disclaimer: My proofreader is on a camping trip. So, if you find typos or editing issues, please be kind. I promise I did check it before I published it, but as a wise person once told me, you should never edit your own words!