Female Friends Are Good For The Soul

& why we're never too old to stop making friends.

I’ve often heard people say that they don’t need any new friends. I’ve always thought this sounds a bit of a shame and also at odds to getting older. A bit like saying I don’t need to learn anything new. A sort of a ‘I know everything I need to know now’ statement.

How can that be possible?

I’ve also heard people say it’s harder to make friends as we get older.

I’ve never found it hard to make friends. I’ve lost a few as well but that’s a different story to tell.

I love friends of all ages, too.

I think there’s a lot to be said for intergenerational chat and friendship.

About not making new ones in later life, though.

I wonder if it’s one of those things where people think they’re too old for more ‘stuff’ and maybe the bother of more humans in the shape of ‘stuff’ in their life that might need more attention than they are prepared to give.

What do you think? I’d love to hear in the comments section.

I recently read an article that asked if 30 was too old to make new friends.

Whaaaattttt??? Imagine?

If I’d done that at 30 and now being 60 I’d have missed out on 30 years of some awesome friendships and experiences.

I think sisterhood and connection with female friendships is even more magical as we age.

And the way my brain is wired I need new, exciting things to look forward to.

They keep me alive and allow me to thrive.

Just recently I met my friend, Tracey. She lives in London and I live in Teesside. We first met because of our shared experience of blogging.

Almost 2 weeks ago now we shared a wonderful 7 hour lunch date in Harvey Nichols, Leeds.

7 hours of fun, fizz and fabulous female chatter.

I think the staff at HN thought we were moving in!

Sharing stories about ourselves, our families, our careers, our husbands. Things you only chat and joke about with other females.

Giggling away over Passionfruit Martinis.

Tracey and I first met when we were invited to an event for bloggers in London in June 2017. All because of Instagram really because that’s how it came about. Brands don’t invite Northerners to London anymore. It was nice while it was a thing 😆

The event was called ‘Phenomenal At Fifty’ and was designed by a brand agency for half a dozen women including me all over 50. I was 54 at the time.

And just like that I even have the blog post I wrote up after the event.

I remember it being a day of fabulous treats including a blow dry at the uber chic Duck & Dry in Chelsea.

This was us … a lovely pic I kept.

A couple of years later I arranged a meet up in London for other blogger friends I’d met on the gram. I was staying with a good friend already { a school friend, actually} who lived in London at the time and decided to kill two birds with one stone.

This one wasn’t 7 hours long as I had a train to catch back North but it was at least 4 hours that I remember. We all wanted to stay longer as always happens. The Instagram post at the time in 2019 was funny if you scroll to the second photo.

It was the beginning of December 2019.

We vowed to do it all over again the following year but then y’know we had something called a global pandemic that got in the way of everything and time as always ran away.

Like I said at the beginning, these experiences feed my soul and I couldn’t thrive without them. People often ask me what I like so much about social media and particularly Instagram and I say this. THIS.

“People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which one it is, you will know what to do for each person.”

{Anonymous but I love the quote.}

I’d love to hear what you think about social media and the female friendships you’ve made through it in the comments

And to rap up it turns out keeping our social connections going is good for our brain as we get older. Age UK carried out a ‘ Staying Sharp’ piece of research with the Global Council on Brain Health. The advice is,

Stay connected with friends and family as this may help maintain thinking skills as we age.

So whether it’s old friends or new friends we’re never too old and it’s never too late.

If you’re enjoying my writing so far since I joined Substack please think about sharing, won’t you?

Ciao for now xo