Comments on: Popcorn Friends

By: Maralise

Maralise — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 18:02:05 +0000

I lived in our last house for just short of two years. I made two friends and became close (in a casual, see each other periodically, not have to talk all the time kind of way). Before I moved we decided to all go out together and play. In order to remove any guilt/obligation, we did it on a week day after the kids were in bed. We left our husbands to relax and sleep and we headed to the nearest French restaurant. We ordered multiple desserts and cheese trays and funky specialty drinks. We laughed until the two recently pregnant ones among us almost literally peed their pants. We ran out of gas and closed the restaurant down and giggled like high-schoolers.

And of course, at the end of the night, we all thought, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?”

And now…faced with new acquaintances and a new home, I’m trying to remember how much I cherish even the small bits of time that I’ve had with my friends over the years. I’ll take Popcorn friends if that’s all I can get…

By: Heather Moore

Heather Moore — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:35:54 +0000

Very insightful! Thanks for sharing. It seems that most of my friends now have their kids in school full-time, while I’m still touting around a 3 year old. Makes the spontaneous stuff harder to join in.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:24:45 +0000

I’ve been thinking about this–but had never heard the phrase “popcorn friends”. I made some wonderful friends in different places, but only a few of them have made any effort to stay in contact. It makes me sad, but at the same time, I was still blessed to know the people I met.

I was thrilled to make a friend that connected with me in such a different way from children or sports class. I truly treasure her friendship.

My kids are at an international school and the parents seem to cling to one another out of loneliness and also the bewildering barrage of experiences in a foreign language. We share our “can you believe this?” stories with one another, laugh at the absurdities, give tips about where to shop, etc. But it never seems to progress beyond those stages. I like the idea of popcorn friends and their redeeming value.

By: Emily M.

Emily M. — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:54:47 +0000

What a great way to put it: popcorn friends. It’s kind of sad, but true. Church friends are like that too, to a degree. You’re on a committee with someone, you see them all the time, and then the callings change, and you don’t hang out anymore. Or your visiting teachers change. You still see them at church, but you’re not in the buddy stage anymore… that’s how my life is anyway.

By: Justine

Justine — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:54:29 +0000

Oh, to hearken back to the days where my sole and most vital concern was myself. I often wonder when I’ll be able to see a movie I want to see, or go to a play that has adult actors, or find a friend that has no association with my children.

I have very few friends that I would consider soul-mate friends. Too bad most of them are in different time-zones. This was a great explanation of our lives right now. High School is pretty soon, let’s keep hoping…