There are more times than not when I feel too tired to bother being social or to organise get togethers. I think we all feel that way sometimes after a big day wrangling kids or battling away at work.

Problem for me, I feel like that all the time and I have gotten into the habit of just letting things go and not making the move to maintain connections and friendships.

It’s easier to make the excuse that it is all too hard right now rather than pushing through it and enjoying the benefits of interacting with your friends.

This week I decided to take the initiative and organise some get togethers for myself and for the kids. And I am so glad that I did!

My kids have enjoyed some playdates with their school friends which has kept them occupied and encouraged them to continue to work on their social skills through the holidays.

On these occasions I have enjoyed talking to the other parents, most of whom are now becoming good friends to me in their own right – in fact I may just have found myself some gym buddies!

Yesterday I caught up with some very good friends in the morning and our kids (most of whom fall on the autism spectrum) had the most engaged playdate that I have ever seen. Even Gilbert, who is usually not that interested in playing with the others, ran around with them and had a great time.

And to top things off, last night we caught up with my old gang of school friends at the beach. These are the guys that have been there for me for many years (for one of my friends, we have known each other for more than 30 years now, since we attended pre-school together!).

In recent times we have not seen so much of each other – in fact the last time we caught up together was last christmas – but we are hoping to have more regular get-togethers in the coming year. I certainly felt all the better for the outing, particularly given how tired and uninspired I felt before we went…

It reminds me of one of those beer ads, the one where a guy is fighting with his girlfriend over going away on a trip with his friends. One of his mates (who speaks “woman”) comes in and tells her that her boyfriend needs some time away “to invigorate his soul.”

This is how it feels for me right now. I do feel reinvigorated from the inside out. It may not be easy to always push through the apathy but I have to remind myself that the rewards greatly outweigh the effort when I do!

 

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