The Art of Making Friends
Two years ago I wrote, No More Pretending, about my great-niece Maxley’s first camping trip to Fort Mountain State Park. A Week of Firsts celebrated new discoveries and new friends at the same park last fall. On both trips, I marveled at how easily she made new friends. This week was no different.
Before we’d even finished setting up camp, Maxley spotted a little girl next door. On our way to the lake, she introduced herself and asked Paisley if she wanted to be her friend. Six-year-old Paisley spent two hours at the lake with us, the rest of the evening at our campsite, and another two hours in my tiny house before her family pulled out the next morning.
Maxley invited nearly everyone at the lake to “play with her” or “be her friend.” Though she prefers girls her age, she played with girls and boys from two to fifteen. When one little girl said “no” to her invitation, it didn’t bother her one bit. She played with me for a few minutes, then looked for another playmate.
Spotting two children in the distance, she asked if she could play with them. We played with the seven- and twelve-year-old brothers until dinnertime. After dinner they, along with their mom and dog, joined us at our site until ten, ending the day with a quick marshmallow roast and goodnight hugs.
Now I make friends almost everywhere I go, but that was NOT the case when I was her age. Maxley blows six-year-old Joy out of the water when it comes to making friends. At her age, I was still hiding behind my mom’s skirt or tagging along with my much bolder, more confident ten-year-old sister, Cathy.
To Maxley, everyone she doesn’t know is simply a friend she hasn’t met yet. She expects people to say yes and easily shrugs off the no’s. Maybe that’s the art of making friends.
Thanks for being a part of this journey!
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Joy M. Walker
July 30, 2026 @ 7:03 pm
Oh, Joy. If only everyone could know Maxley. She the mention of her in your blog made my heart jump to remind me that I have missed her. I could say the same about you!
July 30, 2026 @ 7:16 pm
We both miss you too. She still asks me if we can go see Vickie. Thanks for reading and commenting. I know you are one busy woman!
July 30, 2026 @ 7:21 pm
Love that age gets to be a part of your journey!! Maxley loves to be around her aunt joy and yes never finds a stranger!! We love you !! Keep on finding joy !!
Laci,Ivan,and maxley
July 30, 2026 @ 7:37 pm
Thank you, Laci. Hope she enjoyed hearing what I wrote about her. One day very soon she will be writing blogs and I hope she speaks kindly about her Aunt Joy who loves her dearly. Thanks for reading and commenting.
July 30, 2026 @ 9:39 pm
Beautiful article! I’m in my 60’s and still not good at breaking the ice to make new friends.
It was nice meeting you on the cruise south from Alaska last fall. Have you ridden in your 50th state yet? You only had a few to go then.
July 30, 2026 @ 11:41 pm
Thanks, Dave. I appreciate you reading and commenting. I haven’t hit any new states since we met other than Washington and Oregon, which I did right after Alaska. I’m planning to head southwest this fall. When I return I will be at 49. If we can convince Sandy P. to organize a cruise to Hawaii, that will be the perfect way to hit state number 50. Are you going to Alaska again? I would love to go again, but I want to wrap up the southwest first.
July 31, 2026 @ 12:43 am
I remember six year old Joy–Maybe riding on top of a Missionary Barrel in the back seat of your car broke the ice for us
July 31, 2026 @ 3:23 pm
Ha! I remember the barrel, but I was thinking it was in the trunk. My mom got a kick out of that story.
July 31, 2026 @ 11:07 am
It was a joy to read about your niece’s ability to make friends and does not let rejection discourage her. That is a lesson that I am still learning. It is still very hard for me at 84 years old to make friends. I like people, but I tend to shy away from making myself vulnerable to rejection.
July 31, 2026 @ 3:30 pm
You are a loyal friend. Not everyone needs hundreds of friends. A few super close friends is probably better, but I do love meeting new people. Thanks for being such a good friend to mom and now to me. Your support means so much.
July 31, 2026 @ 1:44 pm
Joy, I enjoyed reading about your camping experiences with our sweet Maxley. Yes, she is so much like me when I was six. I typically would bring my new friend(s) to our camp site before Dad had gotten the tent put together!
July 31, 2026 @ 3:26 pm
I remember you meeting friends quickly, but I didn’t remember you doing it THAT fast! I also remember you having a new friend who lived down the street before the moving truck was empty when we moved to Fort Wayne. I love that about you, sis! Thanks for the memories.
July 31, 2026 @ 8:39 pm
Hi Joy. Thanks for the reply. I don’t have any planned trips back to Alaska yet, but I expect to go back in the future. Our cruise gave us just a hint of what Alaska has to offer. I didn’t see any bears or many eagles. I want to see some of the national parks there too. The discussion of life at 6, reminded me that at age 5 I was kissing all the girls (on the lips!) in my Kindergarten class. That’s what I saw my parents do, so I must have thought it was the right thing to do. You’d get kicked out for that now.
July 31, 2026 @ 10:01 pm
I totally agree that I need to go back to Alaska. Since my mission was to ride my bike I didn’t see ANY bears or eagles. And national parks are a must see!
Ha! That’s hilarious about you kissing all the little girls. We could probably write a book about our misconceptions of life at five. Thanks again for sharing.