Ester Perrel says that if you are lucky you can experience many different marriages to the same person. I like to think the same goes for friendships. This is a perfectly timed chat on friendship because I just spent the weekend with two of my oldest friends and then some of our friends from our 20s, shout out to the dirty oars my old rowing team. The rhythm of our conversations, the inside jokes and laughing about how we used to be, the friendship dynamics of the group just feels like a comfy old shoe. Friendships are a source of connection, meaning, and a source of well being and longevity (remember how social relationships help us live longer?) if you can weather the ups and downs of life together.
Friendship is not easy to navigate as each of us go through difficult times, struggles with mental health, deaths, marriages, divorces, and parenting. There can be natural changes in our social circles, conflicts over boundaries and expectations, even how you define what it means to be a good friend. Today we explore friendships and how to identify a healthy one versus an unhealthy one.
