Friday Reads: MWF Seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche

When Rachel Bertsche first moved to Chicago to be with her boyfriend (now husband), she left behind her BFFs in cities across America.  It was shortly after she was married that she realized she was seriously lacking in the BFF department in her adopted city.  And the quest began to find Ms. Right - her new Chicago BFF.  her goal - to have 52 "friend dates" in a year and hopefully come out of it with a new BFF.

I think perhaps the thing that resonated so strongly with me about this book is how her plight so closely mimics my own in many ways.  Two years ago, I realized most of the friends I had made in college had dispersed around the world. I had acquaintances here but hadn't really pushed myself to find closer friends. My high school BFFs lived in different cities and had different lives now that I questioned my role in. By 2010, I was overweight, lonely and well on my way to depressed. When I started to make the changes that would affct my health, I also made the decision to start to putting myself out there. Suddenly friendships followed.  I didn't embark on the crazy journey Bertsche did, but I believe you always need to make your journeys work for you and to assess when they stop doing so. Though I still don't have that BFF who I could call at a moments notice - I never really did.   And I don't really miss that in my life.  The people I surround myself with now care about me and want to spend time with me and vice versa.  That is a huge change from some of the "work intensive" friendships I had in the past.

MWF Seeking BFF chronicles her adventures and dates along the way.  Bertsche writes in a very comfortable manner. You can tell that this was a journey she blogged about because she has that kind of style to it. Her writing is easy to read and engaging enough to keep you following along.  By the end, I felt like I had found a kindred spirit in her and could relate greatly to her journey.  I liked how she peppered the chapter with advice from "experts".  In the end, I think she realized that by putting herself out there and being open to the interactions, friendship found her.  It is a pretty good lesson to learn and one that so many people who lament a lack of close adult friendships should listen to.