Making Friends

My guy friends make fun of me for my habit of making friends everywhere I go.

There was that time on my birthday when I was supposed to meet Luis, Leo and Lee at a bar for drinks after work. I showed up with a girl named Meg in tow. "So how do you girls know each other?" Luis asked, and I looked sheepish. "We actually just met today... at daily Mass." The guys couldn't get over that.

Then two weeks later I showed up to trivia night (at the same bar, coincidentally) with Ruthie. Luis said, "Don't tell me you just met Ruthie today at Mass, Tess." I looked sheepish again and admitted, "We did just meet today, but not at Mass. We met... online." Turns out Ruthie lives in DC and reads my other blog, so after exchanging some comments on the interwebs, we had decided to meet and hang out in person.

Later that night, a random girl and guy who go to BYU showed up to join our trivia group. "Ok, Tess, how do you know them?" Luis asked quizzically. I laughed and tried to think how to explain it. "We just met on the street outside this bar." It's true. Nicole and I are good friends now, but we originally met because I stopped to look at her dorm (which is next to the bar), and struck up a conversation with her sitting in front of it.

I could tell you probably a dozen stories like this. I've picked up half my good friends in DC at a bar... going to Conservatism on T. You already know the story of how I met Emily at Sunday Mass back when I lived in Silver Spring. It's really funny and the boys have every right to make fun of me for it, because seriously? Who does that?

Today I went to noon Mass at St. Matthew's, as I often do during the week. Lately I've been seeing Sarah there from time, which always brightens up my afternoon. Today as I sat down, I spotted Sarah across the church, and then noticed a girl in a Notre Dame jacket sitting in the row behind me. I stared shamelessly but didn't recognize her. Hm. No matter. I would find out our connection soon enough. I kept my eye on her all through Mass.

After Mass, Sarah sped over to me. "Do you know that girl?" she whispered. "No," I said. "Let's go find out who she is." So we followed her out of the church and flagged her down on the steps outside.

Turns out her name is Mary and she didn't go to Notre Dame but to Steubenville. She and I have about 10 mutual friends (definitely checked Facebook to gain that knowledge). We talked for a few minutes, exchanged contact info and parted ways as new friends.

And I thought, "I've done it again. I picked someone up at church."