An Ode to Friendship

There’s nothing quite like a solid, loving, and genuine bond between two people. Romantic love is, of course, its own category and a topic for another day. Today is about the type of friendship that teaches you things about yourself and the world that nothing else can.

Friendship can stem from history—specifically, from childhood. For those lucky souls out there, having one (or several) friend(s) that is introduced into your life early on and the grooves fit just right, you find yourselves sticking together (at whatever capacity) as you grow and change and evolve.

Friendship can stem from simply having similar interests. It’s pretty crazy thinking about all the different passions and quirks out there. I’m nowhere near a video game gal, but I have friends who’ve made friends via video games. I even heard a recent story of a guy who invited another guy to be in his wedding; they had never even met in person, only from the video games they played. Whaaaaa?! Cool. Crazy! But way cool.

Birds of a feather, right?

Friendship can stem from shared life experiences. Think about classmates, coworkers, your partner from driver’s ed, the other doggie parent waiting for their pup’s appointment. There can be foundations laid in the most unexpected (or completely expected) circumstances. Again, the endlessness of it and the (un)predictability of it is fascinating as fuck to me.

Friendship can stem from blind faith and good vibes. If you haven’t yet, read this blog post where I talk about a friend I had solely online until about a month ago. Neither Destiny nor I knew each other outside of social media until our paths crossed while I was on a work trip. We had reciprocated support and hype-girl-roles just...because. And boom a friendship was cultivated.

Sometimes savoring our friendships can fall by the wayside. Intentionally or not, taking friendships for granted is all too real. When was the last time you thanked your close friends for being your friend? Have you thought recently about the people that’ve chosen to stay in your life (and you theirs) and the unique history that only you two share? If you have done either or both of those things recently, bless yer good-friend soul. If not, it’s okay. This can be a prompt or a reminder for you. Shit, it’s a good reminder for me, too.

Friendship should be cherished and protected. Hit up your bffs and let ‘em know what they mean to you. I guarantee they’ll appreciate it.

XO,

HMC