You never know when a contact will come in handy. Even if you think that person will NEVER be any use in the future, you might be surprised. Some of the people I didn’t like at first ended up being the best of friends/contacts to have. You can never have too many friends. Look at Dorothy. She picked up some crazy characters on her way to Oz, but they all helped her in their own way.

People that I thought I’d never get along with, actually weren’t half bad after I gave them a chance. I had to work harder at their friendship. I think because of this, it ended up making the friendship stronger.I’ve learned that you really need to watch people that come on too strong in the beginning. I’m not so sure about that Glinda chick. Yeah, she gave Dorothy some cool shoes, but who does that when they first meet someone. On top of that, she lived in a bubble.  The day that bubble burst, watch out.  She’s going to go all postal, turn the munchkins into slaves and get all crazy on some prozac.

Some bridges are better off burned. Dorothy will not be going shopping with the Wicked Witch any time soon. Of course, she did drop a house on the witch’s sister. (women hold such grudges!) But none the less, the witch probably wouldn’t be the best person to have on your team. You have to be careful who you pick as friends. She’s a little crazy. First, she’s green with envy. (haha) I know the ruby red slippers were awesome shoes, but throwing a ball of fire at Dorothy and her compadres was probably not the best way to get her pointy fingers on them. Who has their castle in the middle of crazy woods with living trees?!  And what’s up with the flying monkeys?   I’m just saying it’s okay not to be friends with everyone. (this was a hard lesson for me to learn. I thought everyone had to like me)

You need to find a friend that will break you out of a castle if you were being held hostage (or bail you out of jail when you had a little too much fun) But will also skip down the yellow brick road with you. Usually you will find these types of friends when you least expect it as you follow the yellow brick road of life.  Friendship is like love. It can’t be forced. I have found people that I REALLY wanted to be "close" friends with. No matter how hard I tried, it just didn’t happen. Then, when I least expected it, I found someone that had the same morals, views and shopping habits I do. I wouldn’t trade her for anything. You know the type of friendship I’m talking about. You let them see your house how you actually live in it and not how you have it when you KNOW someone’s coming over. The friend that will tell you when that shirt you are about to buy will give you buyer’s remorse as soon as you get it home. The friend you call and pour your heart out to or just talk about nothing at all. I bet Dorothy stayed on the phone all night with the Lion talking him in to living life, went shopping with the Scarecrow to replace those patchy clothes he had and went and got Manicures with the Tinman (at least keeping him oiled up)

One thing I learned in Co-Op Class with Mrs. Flatt, it’s all about Networking. Not only do you need to make friends through life, keep all your contacts! I’m sure you’ve heard the saying " It’s not what you know, it’s who you know." You can find contacts at the grocery store, the bank or even the ballfield. You just need to pay attention. Have conversations with people. If you don’t have a contact for a particular situation, I bet someone you know does. Referrals help everyone. You know you are going to get a good job because some has recommended this person. The friend feels good because they helped you out and the next time they need to use that person, I bet they’ll get a discount. And the recommended person gets business! But be careful, your name is on the line if you recommend someone.