The Lifeline of Adult Friendship
After a pretty long day of study, with a pretty long walk home ahead of me, there is only one thing I want to do: call my best friend, Kate. Phone calls with Kate magically make 50 minutes feel like 20, and big problems feel like small ones.
I look to the future and I see my best friends. I see shared apartments (not too different from my present living situation), I see more trips to visit each other, I see bridesmaids and groomsmen and 30ths, babies inheriting their laughs, and times spent together where we still feel 19, even though that was already years ago.
As a kid, I always thought that friendship would become less important to me as I got older. The truth is, it’s been the opposite. Being 24, my friends are my family (not to disregard my actual, wonderful family). We pick each other up from airports and crash on each others’ couches, reminiscing on times where we saw each other more often. Where does the time go? We cry, drunk, in the smoker’s at the gay bar and then discuss our careers and how proud we are of each other. We look back on the times where things weren’t so good and say “thank you for being there for me”.
“Anytime”.
We mean it.
When I look back on all of the terrible times I have had, there were beautiful people who helped me get through them. When I think of my best times, they were a part of them, too. The best things, in the best and worst of times, always seem to come from good people; whether it’s the best margarita in the world from my housemate Coby, or a cup of tea and CWA comp-winning cakes from my old neighbours, Kevie and Libby.
‘The Power of Friendship’ sounds like a childish, Care Bears-esque phenomenon, but in a world where we are constantly being pushed towards productivity, individualism and capitalism, friendship and community are not only a form of rebellion, but a lifeline for so many of us. It’s what keeps us going. It gives us hope and confidence and perspective and joy.
If my life is spent in the company of people as good as the ones I know right now, I think it’ll be a pretty good one. I guess that’s what it’s all about, really.
That’s love.
xx Rose
