Tag: hawaii

Embracing the Awkward

Yesterday, I stepped way outside of my comfort zone.

I’ve lived in Hawaii for nearly three years. I work from home, I’m introverted and I don’t have a ton of hobbies. For all of these reasons, I haven’t made any friends. I enjoy time with my husband, our furbabies and a small colony of feral cats that live around our house. I engage with neighbors whenever we see each other, but that’s not even super frequent because our house is at the top of a steep driveway.

Sometimes, I get lonely. My husband is my very best friend and I love spending time with him. But just having the chance to connect with other people is apparently something that I miss from time to time.

This past spring, I joined a yoga/barre studio to get up and move, but also to potentially meet some people. I love the energy there, and I have a few folks that I chat with from time to time because we end up in the same classes occasionally. 

But it still felt like I could be doing more. And one day, when scrolling aimlessly through TikTok, I saw and add for Bumble’s BFF app. I downloaded it immediately, fill out my bio and got to swiping. Within just a few days, I connected with a woman who lives on the other side of the island. We chatted about things we are interested in. And then she asked if I wanted to meet up.

Every bone in my elder millennial body reacts to meeting up with people you meet on the internet. “Stranger danger” flashes on repeat in my brain. But the app and our conversation made me feel like it would be okay to try. And my husband offered to check in.

So I did. Yesterday, we met up at a little local restaurant that we’ve both been to so that we could chat over lunch. We started chatting immediately and didn’t stop for an hour and a half. And it felt great to connect with a potential friend. We ended up exchanging phone numbers and Instagrams.

I find that making friends as an adult is challenging. I made friends back in Texas, but I met them while working at the office. Another close friend was in a relationship with my cousin for a hot minute, and we connected while I was trying to spend time with him. Here, I work 8 to 9 hours from home, and by the time I sign off, I’m tired from working an early schedule, talking through so many meetings and the summer heat. But, I have to put in the effort if I want to have friends. Here’s hoping to meeting more kindred spirits and forcing myself to take leaps of faith… even when I reallllly want to take a nap.

Top 40, Sweet Cheeks

Aloha y’all!

My name is Mandy and I am a work in progress… one might say a project. I’m a forty year old elder millennial living in Hawaii with my high school sweetheart, my senior westie and a cranky cat. We’re empty nesters; our daughter moved out-of-state to go to school a couple of years ago. Despite the distance in miles, I’m so grateful to say that our little family remains super close. 

This blog is here for me to be able to express myself. I’m still learning to navigate what it means to be an empty nester and be a mom to an adult. My fitness journey is nearly 20 years old, so obviously, still learning some things there. You might see me talk about my friends and family, experiences here on the island, books I like to read, my Amazon Prime addiction, recipes I’m trying out… you never know. It’s very nice to meet you!