Contemplating friendship, ruminating on how it changes and grows, and celebrating its strength and power. Best friends forever!
For the recent Empress Tea group post, I submitted a picture of my best friend and me. Taking the picture and writing the caption has made me contemplate friendship. More especially, it has made me ruminate on how the concept of friendship changes as we move into our adult lives.
Sarah and I have been friends since we were in our early teenaged years. We went to junior high and high school together. We kept our friendship going strong through our university years while she attended Carleton in Ottawa, and I did my B.A. in Camrose, Alberta. We lived together in Edinburgh the year I did my Master’s degree. Our friendship survived even though we are really not compatible as roommates.
We’ve been friends who lived within walking distance of each other and friends who have lived “across the pond”. The paths we’ve trodden in our lives have diverged, but our friendship remains undeterred. We’ve grown it, nurtured it, and made time for it. We keep making time for it.
Our weekly BFF standing date is set but not because we need it to maintain our friendship. It wouldn’t wither like an unwatered flower if we couldn’t get together regularly. Our long distance friendship has more than proved it. We can, and have, been able to pick up where we left off when timezones were worlds apart.
Sarah and I make time for one another because we enjoy each other’s company. In our busy adult lives, we could easily pass like ships in the night. But we don’t. We’ve made space for each other.
Our friendship will be 25 years old this year. The two of us celebrate being “best friends forever” all the time, though, not just on friendiversaries. We care for it. We keep it strong. We keep our friendship–and each other–going strong.
