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GoodLifeFamilyMag.com JULY AUGUST 2015 67 Good Morning Texas Paige McCoy Smith shares her Girlfriend Goals. - Paige JOIN OUR FAMILY Share your thoughts stories insights advice and yes even frustrations and failures with Good Life Family. Email Sheryl Pidgeon SherylGoodLifeFamilyMag.com or any member of the Good Life Family team. Gotta Have Girlfriends My marriage nearly ended before it began. The problem Girlfriends Im not talking about his former flings Im talking about MY girlfriends. My husband had an issue with how much time I spent with my friends and resented the value I put into those relationships. I fiercely defended my girlfriends holding onto the old adage to never let a man no matter how cute he is or how well he danc- es interfere with your friends. However there comes a time usu- ally when youre walking down the aisle when that command- ment is traded in favor of for better or for worse. As a result I didnt call my friends as often. I begged off from lunch dates and declined invitations to movies or parties. I convinced myself that I didnt have as much in common with my single friends and focused my energy on deepening my rela- tionship with my newly titled husband. Howev- er the more I tried to move beyond what I thought of asoutdated relationships the more depressed I became. Ironically my mother of all people saved the day. She sat down with my husband and said Paige is like a bumble bee. She needs to be nourished by many flowers in order to survive. Limiting her friendships will kill her spirit. Although I admit being compared to a bumble bee is a lit- tle cheesy it seemed to work. Today my husband supports my friendships and encourages me to maintain these special rela- tionships. So I have no excuse other than work kids laziness and procrastination. Its pretty pathetic considering we are in the information age. After all how much energy do my fingers really consume when firing off a quick text just letting a friend know I care I am embarrassed to admit that I have put my friendships on the same line of my to-do list that typically occupies such priorities as organizing my spice rack. But that ends now My mom was right. The truth is when I dont take time with my girl- friends my soul is depleted Me The bumble bee I need these friendships and I would like to think they need me. In fact I am com- mitted to taking these Girlfriend Goals a step further 1. CALL I am going to pick up my phone and do what it was originally designed to do MAKE A PHONE CALL. Sure a text is short and sweet but taking the time to dial a number and have a conver- sation can be well therapeutic 2. SEND A CARD Snail mail has become nostalgic. I dont know about you but I get giddy when I see something in the mail with an actual stamp that doesnt resemble a bill. What a fun way to share some love. 3. GO TO LUNCH Lunch happy hour even a walk in the park or a walk in the mall. You schedule everything else from mammograms to PTA meetings. Use that skill to schedule some girlfriend time These are three simple things I can do to ensure my friendships are well nurtured. Speaking of nurture I had another friend com- pare her girlfriends to a vegeta- ble garden This year my tomato plants are doing well last year was not as good because I didnt spend enough time caring for my garden. You see a garden cannot magically grow on its own. It needs to be nurtured and tended to. I love analogies to make a point or share a perspective. As for me I am plum out of clever comparisons. However I can say that all things that have value need to be nurtured in order to be sustained. That goes for bumble bees tomato plants and of course friendships. Until we meet again PS Look for me on WFAA Channel 8 Monday through Friday at 900 AM Best friends dont necessarily have to talk every day. They dont even need to talk for weeks. But when they do its like they never stopped talking. - Anonymous Theres nothing better than a friend. Unless its a friend with chocolate. - Linda Grayson goodPOINT