Anyone one who knows me probably knows that I don't make friends easily. Mostly because it usually takes a lot of work to build a new friendship. These are my same sentiments about dating as well. I just don't have the energy for it. My friends are not high maintenance (well, my bestie could be considered high maintenance, but she maintains herself). This is awesome because my friends and I can go for periods of time without communicating or without hanging out and our friendship won't falter.
When building a new friendship, I never know the appropriate time to bring up Crohn's. Whether I like it or not, Crohn's has a huge impact on my life. It's stressful to conceal it until I build enough trust to feel comfortable discussing it with someone new in my life. I've seen enough people walk away because they couldn't handle it. As if they are the ones dealing with this shitty disease, not me. Some people think my whole existence is disgusting. In which case, I will not pursue a friendship/relationship. Once I consider you a friend, all bets are off and you might end up wishing I wouldn't trust you enough to share so many details.
I was talking with my cubicle neighbor, Ashleigh, at work and she mentioned her Mom has Ulcerative Colitis, which is another form of IBD. I told Ashleigh I know what UC is because I have Crohn's disease and I inquired about what medicine her Mom takes. Next week, Ashleigh and I made plans to bring our walking shoes to walk laps inside the mall during our lunch hour and talk about life. She even has some other stomach issues of her own that she shared with me. She became my friend the moment we mutually agreed that we could fart in front of each other. This is like an unrealistic dream come true.
I think I'm in the right place at the right time and surrounded with awesome people in my life.
