Three Ways to Win Friends

Lately, I don't know what has changed about me but I have begun to go out a lot more and have more of a social life. I have always been a tremendous homebody, very content to putter, create, fritter, garden and houseclean for hours on end. I wondered recently if this was due to Facebook -- sad, I know, but could it be true that Facebook had actually invigorated my social life? On many occasions, I have gone out and met "friends" from Facebook at a dance club or concert, and it's a real ice-breaker. "You look so familiar -- wait, are we 'friends'?" "Yes, that's right, from Facebook." It's happened a lot.

However, that's not the only thing. I joined Team in Training in January 2008, and made some really good friends. I remember having that awkward feeling, however, at times, like I was back in high school and not really a member of any group. But I've learned as an adult and as a journalist to put that aside and converse with strangers pretty easily. I guess once the glue starts forming around a group, that's where I have always neglected my duties as a friend and found myself outside or barely integrated. The interesting thing is that I did make some friendships that lasted from 2008 until now, and that when I came back to Team in Training in 2009 I really felt like I belonged. And I wasn't alone -- I often overheard conversations about how people had joined TNT in search of new friendships, and had found them.

Then there's the dance classes taught by my friends Sidney Weaverling and Ryan Mead. These two have so much talent both as teachers of Cuban salsa and as magnets for genuinely nice people. We took a road trip to L.A. in December and I got to know a lot more about them -- and we seemed pretty compatible, travel-wise.

Executive summary:

How to make more friends when you've been a homebody all your life

1. Join Facebook (and become my fan), then actually go out occasionally to an event mentioned there
2. Join Team in Training
3. Take a dance class with Sidney and Ryan
4. Try to be nicer
5. Pass notes in the bathroom
6. Always carry snacks, ibuprofen and tampons