After Emily became a widow she wanted to widen her circle, to meet new people but  felt as many women do, shy about just doing it cold turkey. Too vulnerable.

Her story:

“Putting yourself out there to meet new people is scary and for the longest time I did nothing. I enjoyed my old friends, even if the couples I knew seemed to invite me less often as time went by.

But I was still determined to meet new people. Old friends made suggestions, of course, but I got the idea of a card to help me. You know, a personal card, something to give to someone when you first meet and you’re going through that stuff, like, who you are and who they are, especially if you get the feeling that you’d like to get to know them better perhaps.

Charlie, my husband, was always handing out his business card, it’s such a common thing, a little ritual, I called it, that always opened some kind of topic for talking with him. I hadn’t really needed one, had I. Fact is, I hadn’t even thought about it. I was with Charlie. Now I hoped it would, like, for me, break the ice with new people, something beyond those ‘Hello’ stickers.

It worked like a charm. I have my name, and cell phone number. No address, just my name Emily on the first one but now I’ve got both my names. For fun, I added a catch line that said “Garden?” under my name. I’m a fanatic about my garden, especially about water conservation. Weird, I know, but that’s me.

I’m careful about giving it out; there has to be something more than just meeting someone at the goodies table, some spark of interest there, especially if it’s about plants or gardens.

It really works. People always ask right away about that tag line. Then we take off from there, or not. I’m in charge. It’s a winner.

I am serious about gardens and now have at least one new friend who is. The card helped on that.

And another thing about the card. It seems to help my old friends feel easier about me, that I’ve got over the worst of Charlie-and-Emily the way they knew me for years.”