How to Find a Girlfriend Like You -- A Woman Without Kids

It's no secret that Christmastime and other end-of-year holidays can intensify existing feelings of loneliness. For some reason, the part we don't talk about is that those emotions hang around for the other 11 months of the year, too. Here's an example of both.

A few weeks before Christmas 2017,I received a voicemail from a Wisconsin woman hoping to find friends like her through The NotMom networks. She was specific in her hunt: NotMoms who were post-menopausal and living the NotGrandMom experience while surrounded by Moms and GrandMoms.

When I failed to quickly respond, she sent me a lengthy text, soon followed by another voicemail.

I called her back.

I learned that her name is Kristine. She explained that after living for many years in Milwaukee, she has relocated to a more rural area of the state where female friends, especially those without children or grandchildren, aren't very common. She has friends, but she can't seem to build close connections with the women whose lives are very different from hers.

As I listened to Kristine's story, I wondered how to break the news that except for the real-life NotMom Summit, and despite our best efforts, The NotMom blog has not been that efficient at hooking up women living in the same geographic area.

First, I suggested that she share details about herself, her interests and her location on our Forum page under the "Offline" category. I also recommended reaching out to other online sites for childless and childfree women listed on our Resources page.

That's when she explained that she would be happy with a long-distance connection bolstered by email, Skype and telephone. Lonely women can't be picky.

That's when I promised to write a blog post about her search for friends, with back-up posts on The NotMom's social networks. I'm hopeful that others will reach out to her. We both are.

Kristine is a vegetarian who's an active supporter of animal welfare programs that fight senseless cruelty against them. She is over 60 but feels much younger than her calendar age (don't we all?).

If you would like to be connected with her, send me an email and I'll share the info you need to begin a new friendship. Why not use the holiday season to put a joyful start to your New Year? We would love to be the conduit you need.