I have found that one of the most important things to help me through this transition into the empty nest is keeping up my relationships with my friends. They are my everything. My ride or die. They always have my back 100%. They are my cheerleaders and my shoulders to cry on. My Golden Girls. We can just hang out and talk on a random Thursday night. Or we can plan a long weekend in Vegas. I can do anything with these girls and have a great time.
I think it is so important to have girlfriends. Some people think that your spouse should be your best friend. My personal belief is that I have different people in my life that fill different needs. I don’t believe that any one person could fill all of the needs that you could have. My husband provides me security and love in a completely different way than my girlfriends do. My husband and I also have some very different ideas about what is fun and relaxing. I get recharged when I am with my girlfriends. My husband is more of an introvert and needs his alone time to recharge his social battery.
For example, my girlfriends and I love to visit Las Vegas. We love the bright lights, food and gambling. My husband, though, would rather just go for the shows. As soon as he loses $20, he’s over the gambling part. So Vegas has become a girl thing. We try to go once every couple of years.
We take girl trips at least once a year. We’ve been to Vegas, Gatlinburg, Michigan, and Cincinnati just to name a few. We have flown and driven. Our road trip playlists are EPIC!
We all met in college. We have been together through marriages, divorces, moves out of state, births, and career changes. Surgeries, health scares and grand babies. We have known each other longer than our husbands. All of our husbands understand that we come as a package deal.
Examples of Activities To Do With Your Girlfriends
- Play cards
- Sit and talk while having a cocktail
- Camping (Honestly it’s Glamping)
- Travel
- Wine tastings
- Tubing/Lazy River
- Hang out at the pool
- Boating
- Shopping (We love finding great deals!)
- Eat
- Watch movies
- FaceTime chats
- Concerts
- Casinos
- Mani/Pedis
- Watching a TV series together (Sex and the City is our FAVE!)
- Cooking class
- Reminiscing old songs and dance moves lol
Is there “science” behind needing girlfriends?
Psychologists believe that there are health benefits to having girlfriends. Studies show that it reduces stress. I don’t know about you, but I could use some stress reduction. Here are links to a few articles I found interesting.
https://www.healthline.com/health/womens-health/benefits-of-a-girlsquad-and-female-friendships
I definitely feel recharged and less stressed after some time with my girlfriends.
So, give your friend a call.
Send her a text.
Plan a girls’ night.
Plan a girls’ trip.
Let loose!
You forgot to mention there are always a line or two that become memorable statements for the outing. “Is there bread everywhere?” “Save the Beer!”
You are half of my heart! Love you!