Dear friend, I have a picture crystallised in my mind. I am 18 years old. I am circled by my dearest friends. I have a friend sitting on my lap, my arm was draped around another friend, and we are all laughing at something. It’s the kind of wheezing, belly aching laughter where you start laughing and you laugh so much you end up crying. We are young, restless with light and hope and the kind of brittle, glittering energy that fuels youth. We were at a barbecue hosted by a friend in her family’s house. I remember looking around at my beautiful, beautiful friends and remember radiating joy and contentment. I remember dreaming about the road trips, the overseas trips, the sleepovers, the dinners, the meetups we were yet to have. The memories that awaited us. I remember thinking confidently that no matter what life threw at us, we would have us. That this ‘us’ was strong enough to withstand whatever uncertainty came ahead.
I felt this in my bones. I, too, think of those moments with a group of friends when we thought we would be forever and grieve those road trips that never happened. Thank you for writing this.
Did you also find that the pandemic years, helped us adults create friends easier whether they were just neighbours or regular deliveries? It is as if during our years of work it is harder to find the time "to be" a friend. It is of no surprise that many elderly are still lonely because they only have family and no friends during their retirement.
Friendships are the fabric of life. Beautifully written.
I felt this in my bones. I, too, think of those moments with a group of friends when we thought we would be forever and grieve those road trips that never happened. Thank you for writing this.
Reading this before I head out to spend the day with one of my best friends. So beautifully written.
Beautiful, as always. Thank you Adilah
Did you also find that the pandemic years, helped us adults create friends easier whether they were just neighbours or regular deliveries? It is as if during our years of work it is harder to find the time "to be" a friend. It is of no surprise that many elderly are still lonely because they only have family and no friends during their retirement.
Adilah, this moved me beyond words. Thank you for writing this...