by Vicki Phipps

Created on: March 02, 2008

How to make friends used to be something that was never an issue for me. Throughout my life, I made friends easily and the numbers made it clear for me to see. It wasn't until three years ago that I wondered how I could possibly make friends from the prison I was living in.

I lost my sight suddenly, and over night I went from perfect sight to legally blind. Not even six medical specialist could explain the mystery, so they sent me home to, "wait and see." Time went by and after a while, my friends had to go home and carry on with their lives. I never doubted or resented that they would. Still, I moved to a different town and the distance between my friends and me became too great for those stop by visits that I'd grown accustomed to. My husband tried to fill the gap, but he had a job and a life too.

Being legally blind creates a strange reality, based on obscurity. I still see most things, but since I'm blind, legally, I can't drive to go anywhere so my home became an isolating place. I have to admit, I don't know anyone who needed friends more than I did three years ago when I lost my ability to find them.

The good news is that my old friends came for visits when they could, which became my saving grace. They reminded me of why I made those friends in the first place. Your circumstances may not be the same, but what I did to find new friends can be true for you too.

1. Shine your light

With a faded view, it seemed as if I felt invisible too, but even those with a perfect view can feel like they disappear in a crowded room. Making friends is all about how you see yourself. People only see what you shine a light onto, so don't hide behind insecurities and fear of rejection.

It was the hardest thing I'd ever done to blindly meet and greet faded faces through a clouded view. I had to learn how to trust in my insight more than I did my sight. Allow your personality to shine through so that people can see you.

2. Go out on a limb

Go out on a limb and reach out to them. When you do, you'll find friends of all kinds are just waiting to be found by you. Any baby step you take will draw that friend to you. Since I rarely left my house, this was hard to do. Still, technology gave me the way to reach out to cyberspace where an entire world opened it's doors in friendship to me. I went out on a very long limb, right here at Helium. Don't you see? Sometimes we just have to risk revealing our reality.

When you show your true face and what's inside your mind to the world, you'll

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