Photo Credit: Tony Mellinger
Welcome back! To those who haven’t been following this series…
I am writing about what it’s like in the world of The Nashville Wife (myself) and what it was like coming here without my own purpose. Along with that came The Nashville Mom. I had to find myself within both titles and I wanted to share my experience. I spoke to many other lovely ladies who have been through the basics of my story but in their own versions.
That is what this series has been about.
Their voices. Our voices. A community of people who share a common thread within our life story, willing to branch out and reach for the lonely or the broken.
These women are wonderful people who have volunteered their time to answer these questions and discuss their life with me. I am so grateful for their willingness to share and I hope this meets someone where they’re at in their story.
Quick Recap
We ended last week with Part IV, talking about making it happen while giving yourself some grace.
I struggle with this one, personally. I have a lot of battles in my head (I promise I’m not crazy.) I see other moms making friends, being outgoing, seemingly living the highlife of being a Nashville Mom. Living the dream.
However, (a) what you see on FB or Instagram is not always what it seems and (b) it doesn’t matter. I just need to do my best and give myself some serious grace. What matters is that my husband is happy, living his dream in this beautiful city. What matters is that my 2-year-old is happy, knowing he’s loved by his family and friends. And for me? I matter. I need to do what makes me happy, too. I need to do what needs to be done, what works for ME, to not feel alone or isolated here… as a musician’s wife… as a Nashville Mom.
With that said, let’s see what these other Nashville Moms have to say about this.
Beautiful words spoken by beautiful women. It’s time to hear their voices once again.
Question #5
“What did you do to not feel so alone and isolated?”
Here’s what they had to say:
“I found girlfriends with no kids that could come hang out at my house. When the hubby is gone for long stretches and I’m “stuck” at home with the kids, I make the after bedtime hours as fun as I can- game nights, movie nights, whatever. Bring the party to me!”
– Martyne Palmer
…
“I still feel that way sometimes but I’m hoping that since we are in a new city we will start to meet new people and find our groove. “
– Heather Abbott Burback
…
“Made friends, joined Facebook groups, networked, put myself out there, found a job that could get me new friends. I didn’t isolate, I put my son in a great in-home daycare. He is thriving…enrolled him at Waldorf. Just doing as much as I can to make sure [everyone] is getting what they need (including me!)”
– Allison Klein
…
“I decided I was going to be all-in on making friendships.”
My follow up question: Was this hard for you to do? I’m basically an introvert. Once I meet someone, I am suddenly this extrovert. It’s the getting out of the house, taking that first step that’s hard for me. Did this come naturally for you?
“This really does come naturally for me. I do have some anxiety when it comes to social settings, but like you, once I get there, I’m fine. Of course as women, we tend to worry about what other people think of us not only as women, but also as mothers and wives. But if you find the right people that just love you for who you are, those worries tend to disappear.”
– Vicki Mason Brown
…
“The primary thing that has helped me to not feel alone or isolated is joining the Nashville Moms Facebook Group.”
– Jamie Angsten
(This is a snippet of a larger summary she wrote that I will post in the last of the series.)
…
I feel like no matter if you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between, we all need friends. We all need community.
As an introvert, I can tell you first hand it’s hard. But with practice, the more you do it, the more comfortable it is to do. It’s so very scary at first to join groups, go meet new people, but when you do? You find that connecting with others that share your story tends to cause our hearts to bloom and our souls to flourish. We grow & become stronger versions of ourselves.
So as hard as it is, go out there! Whether you’re a Nashville Mom or someone that moved to Nashville (or hey – ANY new city!!) for whatever purpose… try and branch out. Start a blog and meet new bloggers! Join a FB group. Find something in your niche and see what happens. Just don’t isolate. Don’t live your life without community. You are wonderful and others should see that… 🙂
I’ll leave you with this…
When we love ourselves, we tend to love others.
♥
Photo Credit: Tony Mellinger
The Nashville Wife 
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