Ah, friendship! It’s an uplifting and healing thing, for a lot of people. Friends are people you can express your thoughts, feelings, and ideas to, without fear of judgment. Friends are people who support you and cheer you on, in times of trouble or uncertainty. And friends are people you can simply laugh and joke around with, for the pure enjoyment of it. I hope you have a bevy of friends in your life, for all these reasons and more. Or, perhaps you have just one or two really good friends, because you believe in quality over quantity. (Sadly, I hear there are a lot of people out there masquerading as “friends” who are really just there to affirm themselves, and aren’t so interested in returning the favor.) Or maybe you’re more like me, in that you have people in your life who you enjoy being around — but that’s as far as it goes, because putting labels or commitments on the relationship fills you with dread. You don’t want those lovely people to turn into nasty obligations, because life has given you plenty of responsibilities, as it is. But even those of us who prefer the freedom and spontaneity of our own company to making appointments with friends can benefit from getting outside of ourselves once in a while, in the form of friendship. The trick is to recognize when your own head has become an un-friendly place to inhabit. That’s the point when I turn to myself and say, you could really use a friend right now. Because I wasn’t meant to be responsible for generating all the love I need to keep myself going! And that’s what friends are for: to remind you that love is there for you whenever you need it. If I open my heart just a crack, I can let that love come in from the outside, in whatever friend-form I choose. ❤️‍🔥— Y.B.D.