Friends.

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out”. Walter Winchell
 
I just came back from dinner with four of my closest friends. We hadn’t seen each other in years and despite our busy calendars, we were invited on the fly and in just one day our plans were booked and confirmed, as if we didn’t even have to try! (Is it just me or are the best moments usually this simply inspired)? We’ve known each other (for the most part) since we were teens and the others eventually joined the gang, as if a part of the gang, they had always been. Adolescence ! You know that fun and not at all intense period of constant self reassessments, of anxious states never really well defined and of existential quests and crises never truly satisfied. A period I can safely say, you probably could never pay me enough to relive today ! The only thing I can affirm with certainty about that time, the only thing I am so grateful to have gained from those years, would be the friendships that we forged, that deeply helped us all navigate through all the teenage angst and fears.
 
Great friends that I can see again after years apart and feel like they could never stray too far from my thoughts and heart. Friends who know they can count on me for anything at any time. That all that is needed is a quick call, text or poke to raise their hand, as I trust that I too could always do the exact same to raise mine. Friends who will always remind me of who I truly am, who just get me, see me with such clarity. Friends who remember all those funny and sometimes embarrassing anecdotes and get a kick out of recounting them around a well surrounded table, who keep me firmly anchored in humility. Friends who are not afraid of grand conversations, of a lively exchange of ideas or even of a passionate debate, often accentuated by a good bottle of wine. Friends with whom I have shared the biggest belly laughs, that I don’t ever want to lose down the line. Finally friends that I always enjoy rediscovering, getting to know them again and again is always such a huge blessing.
 
At the end of the evening, as per usual, we all promised each other not to let so many years go by before getting together again. But this time, perhaps in response to the last few years and the insecurities that have been raised, this time the promise didn’t feel like it was made in vain. This time I was leaving, knowing, trusting that we’d be seeing one another very soon again.
 
Thank you for the invitation !
 
Thank you for just being who you are !
 
Thank you for always being there, no matter what, never being too far !
 
Thank you for choosing to be by my side, for such important and significant years !
 
Thank you for always bringing me back to who I truly am and a big thank you for being here through so many joys and tears !
 
This post is dedicated to you. I wrote it to tell you what we don’t say to each other because well, it can be embarrassing ! I love you and you can count on the fact that, even if we don’t see each other that often, I’ll always be there to support you with anything you’re facing.
 
I really hope that you also share these amazing and essential connections, that you’re also privileged to have these life long friends, that you can often count on the fingers of one or two hands. The sort of friends you know will be there for the ups and downs, the highs and the lows. The sort of friends who, no matter how much time goes by, will always be by your side and that you never seem to outgrow.
 
If you miss your friends, reach out ! Why not ?
 
And if you get the urge to tell them how you feel, speak out before it’s too late, let them know what an amazing impact they’ve had on you. I’m pretty sure you’ll be glad once you do 😉
 
Wishing you all a great day 🙂