An invitation for custard creams

My hot chocolate looked divine, all steamy and sprinkled and mouth-wateringly frothy - a perfect counterpart to the drizzling, grey skies outside the coffee shop. There we sat, four different women with four buggies, four tiny lives asleep in their cosy toes the only thing connecting us. 

The local toddler group was over for another week and for the first time we all agreed to take the labour memories and teething experiences out for coffee. 

As a little girl, I found it very easy to make friends and always found new playmates no matter where I was. As an adult however, albeit fairly confident and conversational, I sometimes struggle with turning a polite 'how are you?' Or a regularly exchanged nod of acknowledgement into a friendship. In hindsight, I often wish I had just exchanged phone numbers or extended an invitation for tea and custard creams! 

But on this wet and muggy day, we four women were brought together, and bonded by a shared experience, all different perspectives but nevertheless, the same. It struck me as such a wonderful thing, that these beautiful mini humans had brought each one of us to set buggies aside, pull up a tub chair and take fifteen minutes out of our day to get to know one another. Like a handful of flowers thrown into the same vase, we were blossoming together, revealing our own petals, our unique colours and scents. 

Somehow, having a baby on your hip gives you courage to go out on your own, to strike up a conversation with a complete stranger also juggling children and changing bags.

I love that common interests are not necessary as we relate over breastfeeding and cloth nappies and what we feed our children for breakfast. And isn't that what friendships are all about? - finding those people with their own opinions, their own minds and hearts to lean on, to learn from, to teach and to celebrate. To just do life.