I am one of those people who has lots of circles of friends. Single girl friends, church friends, work friends, “campus” friends, Powered by Hope friends, blogging friends, twitter friends, high school friends, college friends, Birmingham friends, camp friends…just to name a few.
So naturally I have several friends who have never had the opportunity to meet. Sometimes it is easier to keep the circles separate.
But sometimes it is fun to find a few friends from two different groups and introduce them, to play “matchmaker.”
Now, I am not talking about matchmaking in a romantic way. (Although that can be fun too.) Here’s what I’m talking about:
A few months ago I arranged a happy hour with the sole purpose of introducing my friends Bryan and Suzanne Norman to Matthew and Alyson Costner. I have known “the Normans” for a few years. They are some of my favorite people on the planet. They are passionate. They love good food. And they are great for a deep conversation about anything from faith to politics or for a night out singing karaoke (You should see Bryan do Springsteen’s “Born to Run.”)
I met “the Costners” through Twitter. I liked something about the way they interacted in 140 characters. My half marathon training gave me the opportunity to meet them “in real life.” I discovered my instincts were right. “The Costners” are great. And they needed to meet “the Normans.”
We all gathered at Eastland Cafe one Thursday evening to enjoy their $5 Happy Hour menu. I had the best time sitting back and watching these two couples enjoy each other. And I get just-plain-giddy every time I hear about them cultivating their friendship. I love knowing that I helped bring them together, that I am part of their story.
My friend Spence is the best at this. Awhile back he called and invited me to join him and a couple of his Compassion friends for dinner. I blogged about the evening because it was monumental for me. I felt invested in, like Spence hand-picked me to meet those folks. There was no awkwardness. We all just clicked. Unbelievably that was the first night I met my fabulous friend Keely. (If you are ever around the two of us, you will assume we’ve known each other for years.) I am SO GRATEFUL that Spence went out of his way to include me that evening, that he followed his instincts and introduced me to Keely and Ryan, that he played “matchmaker.”
Do you have friends that need to meet? People that you know will enjoy each other? What are you waiting for? Step out of your comfort zone and introduce them. Help bring people together. Be a part of their story.
Oh, and please share your “matchmaker” stories…
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