You've Got "Friend Game!"

Why is it that at 25 years old, I still stress about making friends? Last night, I had a meeting for a group I recently joined. We've been having meetings for two months and I've started to make friends, but I became extremely paranoid when this group of four girls began discussing their plans for tonight.

Is this a closed group? I wondered. Have I been friendly enough? What should I do to get to know people better? Why am I not friends with these girls yet?

By the time I left the meeting, I felt completely and utterly stressed out. Granted, I've gone to a Happy Hour and bowling with some of the girls, but at the thought that someone was doing something without me, I felt sad. I know it sounds ridiculous; there's over 50 of us and I was stressing about these four girls chatting about their big plans.

Do women ever get over that feeling of wanting to belong? Why didn't this end with high school and college? I guess it's hard when you move somewhere new. I changed schools in high school and had to do this. In college, I had to find my group. In DC, I had to make friends as well. I guess it's time once again.

I wonder if women always feel like they never entirely live up to these standards in their heads. Are we domestic enough? Are we where we should be in our careers? Do we have a full enough social calendar?

It's enough to drive anyone straight to a pint of Ben & Jerry's.

But luckily when I was feeling blue, I had a friend stop by to visit me. And I called my best friend who assured me she completely understood and would feel the same way. And Bert just smiled and told me that he knew I had "friend game." He said I was acting like a high school boy that was afraid to ask a girl out, and that everything was going to be fine.

I don't want to appear too eager, but I don't want to get left out. I know every little "clique" isn't for me, but I don't want to not have a group of girlfriends. I feel like it's 1998 all over again and I just joined Delta Gamma.

But there's something coming soon that I have to look forward to. There's a social event next week, and I'll be sure to be there. I'll just smile and know that I've got "friend game." And if that doesn't work, I'll stop by the grocery store for some Chunky Monkey on the way home.