The Magic of Human Beans

Today I woke up sad. I had an ache for my long-standing friends. The ones you can share a cup of tea or beer with and slip into conversation like putting on an old pair of fluffy slippers and wiggling your toes. The ones who know your best self and your not-so-good self.

I love the buzz of meeting new people. Of finding out who they are and what makes them tick and if and where you overlap and connect. But when you meet new people - at least if you hope to make friends - you have to present your very best self. You have to entice them a little. Try to be nice, positive, lively, engaging. You can't launch straight into a conversation about the details of a sh*tty row you had with your husband that morning or give them a graphic description of the intimate physical symptoms of your menopause. Well, you could, but they probably wouldn't warm to you!

I also felt at first that I'd lost my confidence. My identity. If I had no shared points of reference with anyone, who even was I? I seemed to be surrounded by Super-clever professors and PhD-ers, Extremely Alternative People with children called Leaf and Whisper, and Very Right-on people who were saving the planet AND feeding the homeless. I worried I was too stupid, too straight, too irresponsible (How would an online shopping delivery from Asda of non-organic sausages go down with the neighbours?!).

At the same time, the friendliness and kindness of the new human beans that have entered into my life over the last two weeks has been heart-warming. I've had cards through the door, cups of tea, glasses of wine, walks, lunches, a birthday party invite, two spontaneous babysitters, an offer of a bike so that I could ride along the canal with someone to my office, even an invite to accompany someone on a Mystery Shopping pub lunch!!!

This morning was no different. Just as I was settling into my achey sadness - abracadabra! - an email came through inviting me to have a coffee (at the most hipster place) in town and then work together there for a few hours.

Human Beans - old and new - are magic.