The 20 Minute Challenge – The Beauty of Friends!

The rules:

1. In 20 minutes you are to create your post, including writing, checking, proofreading, editing and adding any images.

2. Mention the person who gave you the challenge and include a link to their website.

3. After 20 minutes you must publish what you have created.

4. You are free to write about any topic you choose.

5. Once you have done, you must choose three of your blogging friends to do the challenge, include links to their website.

6. Let your challenge nominees know via Twitter.

I was nominated to do this challenge by Linda V Lind over at Rocking the Spectrum.  Take a pop over and read her fabulous post about The Art of Receiving Compliments.

Many apologies for any errors and ramblings in this blog – 20 minutes is not very long !

My Friends…….

are a massive part of my life.  So much so, that when I was completing our adoption paperwork we had to create something called a network of support.  There are 10 of us in our close group and in the end I was asked to narrow it down, but I couldn’t.  In the end, ‘The Girls’ ended up in one box.

I was older before I gained my closest friends.  I moved away from home for university at 18 and then again when I finished university for a while meaning that I have left many friends behind.  In an ideal world we’d still all be in touch but apart from social media contact, the distance and life makes this difficult.  I finally found my set of friends when I settled and started working in a small primary school (later amalgamated with 2 others).  I met them all at work and although only three of us currently remain there, the friendships have outlasted.  We range from aged 38 to 60, we are in different stages of our lives e.g. young/older children, retirement, married/not married but it doesn’t matter.

It’s hard for all 10 of us to get together at the same time and it rarely happens but thanks to Whatsapp – we are in touch almost daily.

I have an extremely supportive husband, I don’t need my friends because they fill a gap from the perspective but here is what they give me.

They don’t judge!

At some point in our lives we have all needed a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand, a rant, a good laugh to cheer us up or just someone to get totally drunk with and let ourselves go without being judged.

They make me laugh!

We are a weird and wacky bunch.  On Saturday some of us went out for early Christmas cocktails and I cried with laughter most of the day.  Laughter really is the best medicine and for those few hours – any other crap in our lives was thrown out of the window.

We aren’t the same!

We are not at all similar in many ways.  We all have different perspectives on life, love, religion, books, TV etc but it doesn’t matter.  We embrace it and go with it. It makes us interesting and interested.

I trust them!

I’m not a trusting person and I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been through phases where I would cancel outings and meets because I didn’t like how I looked or thought I wouldn’t be missed.  Whether it’s an age thing or I’ve just gained confidence, I know my friends are here to stay.  They aren’t bothered whether I’m wearing a designer outfit or my jeans and a t-shirt, they aren’t bothered by how much I weigh, what my hair may look like or my make up.  They don’t care if my house looks like Toys ‘R’ Us has exploded in it, or how clever I am.  For the first time I know I have friends for life!

I haven’t shown them any of blogs yet.  This si the first one I’m sharing with them in the hopes that they will know how much they mean to me.  To The Girls – I love you all!  And Thank You for returning it so beautifully.

3 Bloggers I nominate for this challenge are:

Karen at – https://themommylady85.wordpress.com/

Kelly at – https://muminadaydream.wordpress.com/

  https://rumsthereader.wordpress.com/

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