If I had to sum up the first half of 2026 in only two words, it would be these: FOSTERING FRIENDSHIP. And if you took a peek at my journal from the past year, you’d know just how incredible of a blessing that is for me.
You see, I’d been struggling a lot with loneliness. Of course I have the very best friend in the whole wide world (who also happens to be an INCREDIBLE artist!), but the problem is, she lives about a squillion miles away. My circle of local friends was pretty non-existent. And there were a couple reasons for this:
1) There were very few opportunities to actually make friends. I live in a very small area, and the pool of folks around my age is fairly small.
2) I shut myself down from actually making an effort. I started believing that I wasn’t a person worth being friends with.
Truthfully, making friends as an adult seems INFINITELY harder than in it was as a kid. Making a friend used to be as simple as sharing your toys and saying “hey, do you wanna’ be my friend?”
But did it really get harder, or did I simply become more afraid of rejection? Did I begin to overthink it all? When did I start trying so hard to be an interesting or impressive person that I stopped being comfortable with simply being me?
But by the Lord’s grace, new friendship opportunities arose, and my circle has grown in some incredibly beautiful ways. People I didn’t even know on January 1st of 2026 have now become people I couldn’t imagine life without. And I feel so immensely blessed.
So, if you’ve been wanting to make friends with that new coworker or the barista at your favorite coffee shop, let this be an encouragement to DO IT. Start small. Start with a smile. Start with a “hello.” Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. Because as hard as it feels to walk into a new friendship, it’s infinitely harder to walk through life without friendships.
If you like little sketches like these, I’d love for you to join the Meraki Mail Club! Every month you’ll receive a print of one of my Meraki Monday sketches as well as a pen pal letter and an additional goodie (such as a sticker, another print, etc.) Every envelope is guaranteed to bring a little bit more coziness, curiosity, and creativity to your life. 💛