Events, AIDS, and Friends

So, remember when I was talking about all these social events that I was creating for myself? I think, in a way, I'm doing it as a way to see my friends more. See, with school coming up, I don't see the friends that I hang out with at playgroups all summer as much. We go our separate ways a bit more during the school year, and I miss seeing them on a regular basis.

See, with stay-at-home parenting, going to playgroups and seeing the same people on a regular basis is developing relationships like you'd have if you worked and saw them on the job everyday. It's about creating community and a sense of belonging somewhere, because, oftentimes, parenthood can be a very isolating experience.

SIDENOTE: Vernon has experienced this sense of isolation in opening up his own business and working for himself. He doesn't work with anybody. He gets lonely. But for the past couple of months he has been volunteering every Tuesday for The Aliveness Project (a local organization that helps people with AIDS). We visited him there the other week for the first time, and he was introducing us to all the people he worked with... and he seemed very happy and a part of things. And then, that same week, we went to a picnic that the organization had, and Ocean played Four Square, Ezra hit a pinata, and we all played Bingo.

ADDITIONAL SIDENOTE ABOUT THE SIDENOTE: I won't name any names, but I have a couple of friends (it's Jen and Sally, everybody, Jen and Sally), who are skeptical about the field of chiropractic. But now I can say to them, "My husband helps people with AIDS. And they feel better after seeing him. You can't tell me that chiropractic only works for back pain. He helps people with AIDS!" Because, that's right, I'm using people with AIDS as a means to win arguments with my friends. I'm a good person.

END OF SIDENOTES AND BACK TO ORIGINAL THOUGHT: I have one friend who shall remain nameless (it's Kelly, everybody, it's Kelly) who I hardly see anymore and I miss her. But with kids growing up and growing out of the playgroup stage (especially growing out of the indoor playgroup places in the winter), it gets harder to see the people I used to see on a regular basis.

Which is why I need to create these events.

That's the idea anyway.