I don’t know why it’s so hard to get together for lunch.

I email my girlfriends a date, which we all have to weigh in on. Then a time. Then a place. And it’s finally set, but then for all the days leading up to it, there is a barrage of texts asking when is it, where is it, what time, and am I sure I have the date right.

How did we ever do play groups? Back then, when the kids were babies, we successfully organized play dates. And not only were we able to find a day we could all do it, but we could schedule an exact hour-and-a-half that fell after a feeding, and before a nap, that we could all manage. Every week!

We put our babies on our schedule, so that we could have time together.

And it’s not like these things were easy. You had to be showered, dressed and packed. And by packed, I mean the diaper bag. You had to have drinks, snacks and a change of clothes, and that was just for you. Then you had to have bottles, milk, diapers, wipes, a changing pad and toys. All that, just to put all the babies down on a blanket and see who drools the fastest. But we did it, because we needed the companionship.

Same with the preschool. We’d sign up for the same stuff so we could do it together. Pumpkin carvings, parades, parties and egg hunts were all done as a group. We craved each other’s company and needed the adult banter.

I’ve got pictures of us dressed in every costume imaginable – we were witches, elves, hula girls, even Jesus. And in that particular chapel skit I played the disciple and actually washed my girlfriends’ feet. Then we went out for Cobb salads.

The point is, we made time and we got together, and I find myself missing it. With the kids getting older, so have we, and we are busier and more driven than ever. We are going back to work, running PTAs, serving as team moms and classroom moms.

We’re taking care of sick parents, moving, exercising, starting new businesses and renovating houses. And there is no end to our kids’ activities. We are just so busy.

But somehow for this lunch, we make it to the same place, on the same day, at (almost) the same time, and it’s great. And we talk and agree to be more intentional about our time together. So when we’re 80, we still get together and see who drools the fastest. We did it back then, and we can do it now. We just need prioritizing, time management, and commitment.

And day-timers.