Rediscovering how to play could be the key to creating deep adult friendships. Rhaina Cohen

I have written a lot about friendship - about the ease of longtime friends, about friendship in marriage, about how speanding time with friends can be the panacea to all ills and how spending time with friends can be revitalising.

When the theme for Tell us about...came out, I was wondering what else I had left to say on friends and friendship? Then I thought about when your friends become friends. Through my Wednesday club I have become closer friends with some people I've known for both a long and shorter time, just from doing the activities together and suddenly seeing them more regularly for the fun events. This has then evolved to them saying yes to more non Wednesday club events when I post on FB asking who wants a ticket to a show or gig. I think becuase it centres around an activity, while we do 'catch up' conversations, there's more a 'sharing the now' aspect, and that is actually where the bonding lies. While you paint, blow glass or do pottery, you chat. Axe throwing lead to competitive banter, the adrenaline of running around playing laser tag led to exhilerated laughter at how bad we were. We've played pong on the boldering wall together, played each other in arcade games and worked together at Hijinx and so much more. There is an instant connection over the activity because the 'who' you are doesn't matter, it's simply important you are there. So when I saw the title quote, it really did hit home for me.

Another interesting aspect of this, is through the Wednesday Club, the most dedicated Yes crew have become friends with each other and now do things independantly. One was from work and the other from our children's primary school. They go to the same gym, they like the same music so go to gigs together - weirdly they even have the same birthday! I had said to my husband sometimes I'm surprised at who seems to like doing the Wednesday Club stuff but it's obviously what a lot of women need at this point in life, and I guess new friends that are keen to do something is another thing some of us need as people get stuck in their ways.

On the weekend, we were meant to go on a boat but it got cancelled on the day because of the weather. As it was the Lunar New Year, I asked if people wanted to go to lunch and I was surprised 13 of the 17 said yes. So I booked a restaurant and when I looked around the table at the people from all different parts of my life - work, 2 different kids schools, husband's uni friends, my friend's sister in law, a friend of a friend - I thought how lucky I was to have so many friends happy to move out of their cliques and most of them now know each other and were very comfortable independantly as they'd spent so much time together through the Wednesday Club and other events.

When we were walking to a bar after lunch, having broken off into a smaller group, one friend commented that she loved how inclusive the group is. She too had noted everyone came from a different connection but everyone felt like they were part of the gang. 

Very much like kids in the playground, these people turn up to the Wednesday club and think 'You're here, let's play together" and from that shared fun, bonds have built. Over the years, I've noticed they are being invited to each others birthday parties...they are viewed as friends indepenant of me. It's lovely to see. Good people deserve good people.

And of course, true to form, when the rest of us headed home, the two 'new' friends decided to kick on together for one more drink....

Linking with #WWWhimsy #SeniorSalonPitstop #TellUsAbout #TheRandom #Anythinggoes  #FriendshipFriday #HappyNow #HappyTuesday (because looking around the table at all my friends made me so very happy)

(The photos are from the Garden of Friendship, for those that didn't make the connection)