I am in three (unsustainable, LOL) book clubs. One neighborhood, one Lifelong Learning Institute and the third gifted to me by a DIL for Sharon McMahon’s club.
The Lifelong Learning Institute gets me out and about to classes and outings.
I have three very old groups still in touch from old AOL Message Boards. I love these people and have met many. One we migrated to a new forum. One is FB based and the third is an email loop.
I love to catch up with local friends when possible, going out to lunch or dinner.
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A few online special interest groups, including this one.
Neighborhood book club which has led to some close and lasting friendships.
Swim group which has also led to some close friendships with people of various ages and backgrounds.
Volunteering at a local museum.
I take classes, all kinds of classes, and sometimes that leads to groups and friends.
When the kids were at home, I also did lots of school related volunteering and belonged to more neighborhood groups that grew out of having kids.
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I have several groups…
Church choir, weekly rehearsal+Sundays
A group of friends I meet most Saturday mornings for coffee and chat
One friend with whom I have a “two person book club”, we get together monthly
A neighborhood book club, also monthly
An online friend group that long ago evolved out of in iVillage message board
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In some ways I did more when the kids were young. I had a 20 hour a week job transitioning into being a sole practitioner architect, which meant while they were young I had a fair amount of extra time. When I was nursing I did La Leche League and considered being a leader, then the PTA was my focus. I always (and still do) took art classes. I’ve been involved in neighborhood associations wherever I was living.
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My quilt guild. It is so important to me to surround myself with good people and these ladies are pure gold. That we share an interest in sewing is a huge bonus.
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I am part of a group of coworkers who play pickleball weekly during our lunch hour…does that count?
Outside of that, I’m more of a “pairs” person. I have a friend I meet with regularly to play tennis (we don’t get together outside if this), and two very close friends that I walk with (separately) a few times a week.
I belonged to a book club but it fell apart during Covid. I would like to find a new one…
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I am in a games group with a lovely group of women. We get together twice a week - once for Rummy and once for Mahjong. It’s wonderful and we are women from all different backgrounds and of different ages. I also do a pub quiz/trivia group every other week. We rotate through being quizmaster so everyone gets a chance to enjoy the trivia.
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I have a book club group that is really a good friend group with books added in. I have tried other book clubs but they aren’t the same. I have another group that gets together once a month for lunch or a shopping adventure. I have a small group that meets once a month to volunteer at the food pantry and I have a group of dog friends who track with dogs. I would like to find a group that would interest both my husband and me.
I am in two book groups. One has been going for over 30 years. From that group, I have made a few really good friends, but most are just “book group buddies”.
The second is more social, but still book oriented. We all mostly have kids that same age and I brought in two of the members as very good friends.
In a “supper club” where we meet every 6 weeks or so at each others homes for dinner.
I see the same women at the gym, but have not moved beyond a quick chat waiting for class to friends.
I take an art class weekly and those women have become friends, although we don’t do much outside of the class.
I was very big on volunteering before kids and during kids. I have found it harder to find the time between a full-time job with commuting, the gym and art class. Still searching for the right opportunity.
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ooh, @rockymtnhigh2 - tell me more about NPS volunteeering. My kid is very interested…
I don’t like most people (y’all can call it introverted all you want, but I said what I said) … so my few groups are generally groups where I do the group thing pretty much alone. I belong to a community garden and occasionally go on photography club workshops.
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National park service has volunteer in parks (VIP) that are all ages. Not sure what the lower limit is. We have been doing it for years- requires a background check that they do. Includes things like sheep counting, weeding, trail ambassador, working in the visitors center along with rangers, doing junior ranger badges, giving out hiking info, etc.
If your kid is college age- they have 3 month summer temporary rangers. It’s not a high pay but the ones that do it decide I think if they want to become national park rangers.
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I treasure my book club. We are 7 ladies that met through work-- all management level scientists in a sea of good ole boys. Some are retired now but we read, drink wine, eat, and have an annual sleepover where we swim, do yoga, and watch movies all night. Now we are starting to travel and hike together too.
I also have my friends who met when our kids were in preschool together.
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I don’t know if this is off topic but here’s an opportunity.
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Over 50 soccer club, which is really a front for a beer drinking club and an occasional bare knuckles fight club.
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Oh my.
The SCA has opportunities for young people interested in working in the outdoors. Many of the positions have stipends and housing allowances.
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CC and various groups that have spun off of CC are a big thing for me – and I’ve met a fair number of folks IRL over the past 16+ years.
I run a group making quilts for a women’s shelter, but that meets once a quarter. Otherwise, my quilting is a fairly solitary pursuit, one that has kept me sane over the past three years.
Have a few friends from synagogue, but got tired of the politics. Used to work there, was on the board and on the catering committee (with H and S2) over the years. Just started volunteering on Fridays for a few hours, so will see how that works.
Am mulling a job of some sort. Hard to work out PT with so many dr appointments, wanting to travel, S2’s upcoming wedding, etc.
Cardiac rehab isn’t much of a social activity. Not many women there, and I’m in the very young end of the demographic.
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We’re members of a group called “Taste buddies”, which meets monthly for a potluck dinner. Every month we select a different theme, such as Russian/Ukrainian, “something you’ve never made before”, “as much as possible from your garden”, etc.
We have a major case of imposter syndrome, because the others are all excellent cooks and we’re pretty average. I have no idea why we were invited into the group, other than my wit and good looks.
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This is such a fun idea!
I have been in a poker league that we started in '04. We play 8 times a year.
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