When my daughter was two years old, we would walk down to the park on the corner, and the minute she would see some children on the swings or the slide she'd yell out to them from her stroller, "Hello friends!" Most of the time, as we came closer, I would realise that they were complete strangers, but in the eyes of my skinny little brown-haired playground toddler, they were friends. I really loved it when she did that, because I was never a particularly social child, and I had hoped that my daughter would find friendships easier than I had. My own reaction upon seeing other children in that park was usually, "Oh god, now I'm going to have to make small talk with the parents."
I am still a very private person, and I am still not very social.
So now I'm back from my holiday, and my daughter comes into my study and sits down and says to me "You are being missed in blogland, and I think you are being a very bad friend." Once again, my daughter (now sixteen) is pulling at my hand and dragging me towards the playground and saying "Look! Friends! Hello friends!" And, to be honest, I am thinking "Oh god....what am I going to say to all of these strangers?"
14 comments:
You're back! Hello!
It's okay. I'm not social, either. You pour the tea and I'll pour the brandy and we'll just sit.
Welcome back Eleanor!
Or should I say Hello Friend? Since I am one of those strangers sitting on my swing eagerly waiting for someone like you to come by and play! Or more correctly to come back and write.... So that I have something to look forward everyday!
Hope you had a lovely vacation!
Jeanette
Hellllooooo!
Tell us what you had for breakfast, tell us what you've been up to, what shoes are you wearing?
Welcome back.
oh yes!
welcome back to blogland indeed.
Hello friend! So very glad you're back on the playground.
Tell us, if you'd like, what you did on your holiday. Did you go someplace fun and exciting? Or did you, perhaps, spend day after day curled up with a good book (we've seen pictures of your beautiful library -- there is an entire DECADE of vacation reading in that room!)?
Yay, you are back!
Your post made me smile because my oldest daughter used to do the same thing when she was a toddler. I'll always remember fondly her telling us that the best thing about starting pre-school would be meeting all her new friends. I loved that she assumed them all to be friends that she just had not had a chance to meet yet. Yes indeed you have been missed, Eurolush put together a wonderful post about your absence. Welcome back!
That's fine - we'll wait until you know what it is you want to write.
I might go grab a cup of coffee. Want one?
Hello friend, you were missed. You don't have to say anything, just sit with us awhile and pass the wine and cheese. Sometimes the best moments are the quiet ones...
PS That post is my daughter and me to a tee. Except she is still a wee one.
I'm not very good at small talk in real life either. That's why I like blogging.
Hello Friend!
Hullo, Eleanor.
I'm glad you're back, too.
(I'll be back soon, too. Maybe.)
I'm telling you straight Eleanor - that is a very cool group of friends hanging around in your comment box. In my experience there is a thin line between 'private' and 'lonely' - I know because I have fallen on the wrong side of the line at times. Don't make the same mistake.
I'm glad you are back because you have a different voice and Blogland needs people like you.
Hello friend!
I like blogland because there are no duties there, just pleasure. Welcome back!
Wait. You're back?! Where was my personal email indicating as such? Pfft.
Post a Comment