I remember my first anxiety attack. I was in my freshman year at high school, and it was a few days before we picked classes for sophomore year. I had come home from school with the long course catalog and was sitting on the couch with it in my lap. My mind started racing, overwhelmed by all the choices of classes I had in front of me. I’ve always been the kind of person who gets panicky when I feel overwhelmed by a big-picture process. 

Compared to the vast amount of choices, it felt like my schedule wouldn’t fit them all. Suddenly, I felt like the choices I made would have a great impact on the rest of my life; like somehow if I made the wrong choice of classes, my whole path would be altered. I felt ill-prepared to make a decision so soon. I hadn’t thought about the course of the rest of my life at fifteen years old. 

My daughter makes friends wherever she goes. At 2 years old, it’s not a hard thing to do. We go to the park, the library, the play place, church, a party– wherever– and she looks around and chooses someone to play with. This past weekend, she found a little girl to play with solely because she loved the dress the little girl was wearing. 

For her, that’s all it takes. She sees a kid who wants to have fun and that’s it. Instant friends, even if it’s just for that day.