We've all been in this situation at some point: You're in a place where you don't know anyone, and you're desperate for company but aren't sure how to make friends. If you're Cady Heron, you hide out in the bathroom until someone invites you to sit with them. But if you're Wanda, a 90-year-old whose story recently vent viral, you get up the courage to ask someone to hang out with you — and find out they were seeking a friend, too.
Wanda's neighbor Marleen Brooks found a note on her door reading "Mrs.? Would you consider to become my friend. I'm 90 years old — live alone. All my friends have passed away. I'm so lonesome and scared. Please I pray for someone."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"Came home to this note from a lady that lives down the street from me," Brooks wrote on Facebook. "Makes my heart sad, but on the bright side it looks like I will be getting a new friend."
And she did: They hung out on Wednesday. KTVU anchor Frank Somerville shared a photo of the get-together. Brooks filled him in that Wanda had lived in the neighborhood for 50 years without knowing anybody. She has two living sons who aren't nearby, and her other son died from cancer.
Somerville also posted the note to his Facebook wall with the caption, "I wanted to post this as a reminder that there are a lot of lonely people out there. Especially elderly people. If you know someone like that in your neighborhood maybe consider going over to their home and saying hi. Maybe bring them some cookies too. I guarantee that you will make their day. But at the same time you may also make a new friend. How great would that be?"
Anyone looking to make more friends should take a lesson from Wanda: It's okay to be vulnerable and admit that you're lonely. It doesn't make you pitiful; it makes you brave. And it could help others who are also seeking friends but are too scared to admit it.