I got a question recently from someone that asked:
"I met this girl when we were both volunteering on a project at church. We really got along great, and sometimes after the meetings we would grab a coffee and talk a little bit before we headed home. Now that the project is done, I keep asking her to do things. She says she's interested in meeting with me but seems to be busy. It's been two months since our project ended and she's only been able to meet with me once for lunch.
My question is, does she really want to be friends with me? I'm wondering if I should keep bother emailing her or just give up."
Sound familiar? I'll bet we've all had this question pop up in our minds when meeting someone new. You think you had a connection with a friend... but then when you try to do something with them they're always busy. What gives?
In this case, the problem is not that the new friend isn't interested, it's that it can be hard to find room in your life for a new friend. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to meet new people, but it does mean that something needs to give if you aren't readily able to fit them into your schedule. If that sounds harsh, consider the time that making a new friendship generally takes. Do you have room in your life for someone new?