It's challenging enough to make new gal pals, but just how do you go about adding a few dudes to your roster of friends? While I do adore (seriously, beyond adore) my girlfriends, there's something a guy friend that's unlike anything else.
Guy friends—at least mine—are wonderful about giving straight forward advice. Sure, sometimes their blunt approaches can sting, but in the end I think it's worth it. A few days ago, I was emailing with a pal about work and he jokingly (though half-seriously) said something like, "Why do you need to worry about blow jobs? You're married!" Ha.
Another time, I met some friends at a bar and was thrilled about a cute top I scored at a sample sale. I did a silly little twirl to show it off and asked what everyone thought. Of course, the girls loved it but a good guy pal said the top looked kind of slutty, which was cool, so long as I was going for that look. Sigh. All things considered, though, guy friends rule. And I'll happily take their honesty. Another wonderful thing about guy friends? They've got guy friends. And if you're looking to meet new dudes (or set your friends up with new dudes) they're a great resource. Want to make some guy friends? Here are a few ways to go about it:
Head to happy hour. At my first job out of college, we young assistants would head to a local dive bar a few nights a week for happy hour. Every single time, the two guys in our little group would invite their guy friends who invited their guy friends and so on. Some of the guys were still sort of in that frat-boy mentality, but others were awesome.
Start a club: We've talked about starting a book club with your boyfriend, but if you're single, ask a guy pal to start a club with you. And if he's not a big reader, you could start a club around something you're both interested in like movies or microbrews or fancy cheese or anything really! Your little group could meet every few weeks and the two of you could invite a handful of friends.
Find a new hobby. If starting a club seems like it might be too much work, you could consider taking up a new hobby. In recent years, a ton of people have taken up photography for fun. Often, I'll see groups of budding photographers (gals and plenty of guys) snapping away at the park. And if you're looking for a hobby that's filled to the gills with men, Magic: The Gathering is a good, albeit slightly nerdy, place to start.
Take a class. On a whim, a guy friend of mine decided to take a wood-working class at the local community college. Funny enough, he fell in love with the craft and has since started making his own furniture! He also made a few new friends. While woodworking isn't for everyone (though the students in his class were 100% male), studying a subject you've always been interested in is a fantastic way to make new friends…guys and girls.
Volunteer. Almost without fail, every time I visit my local library there are a few guys in their 20s volunteering in the computer lab, adorably helping older library patrons in the computer labs or reading to kids. Volunteering is fantastic way to contribute to your community, plus there's a good chance it'll introduce to a few new guy pals. Win-win.
Sports sports sports. Yes, it's cliché to assume that all guys like sports. However, when Chris introduced me to UFC a few years back, I became a fast fan. Plus, since we'd always order the pay-per-view fights or head over to a friend's house to watch them, I made quite a few new guy friends who were just as jazzed to talk about fighter stats as I was.
Do you have a lot of guy friends? Have any of them helped you score a date? Or maybe one special guy friend became something more? How do you meet new guy friends?
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