A Toast to Friendship
Why don’t we celebrate our friendships like we celebrate romantic love?
We pour our hearts into celebrating romantic love. Valentine’s Day becomes a parade of roses (long-stemmed for me, please!), chocolates, and declarations; engagements look like scenes from movies, and weddings are Instagram’s pièce de résistance.
Romantic love is beautiful, no doubt. But so too is friendship. They’re just different. So why don’t we celebrate the bonds that anchor us just as deeply, if not more? There are no special holidays, parties, or glossy posts to mark the 5, 10, or 15+ years shared with a close friend, despite it being a remarkable and rare achievement in today’s world. We champion commitment, yet usually in the context of romance.
What if we celebrate our friendships with the same, or at least similar, fervor? Friendship has been woven into my life from the very beginning, showing up as childhood adventure buddies, teenage soulmates, college confidants, and, now, friends who’ve stood beside me throughout my 20s. As Hubert H. Humphrey, the 38th Vice President of the United States, once said, “The greatest gift of life is friendship, and I have received it.”
My sisters and godsisters were my first and most steadfast friends. They were the ones who taught me about trust, honesty loyalty, and unconditional love. They have been my late-night giggle partners, the keepers of my secrets, and the creators of childhood memories that still define my sense of friendship today.
Throughout my life, friends have been there for the best of times: cheering with me at the grand opening of Sweets by Alexandria, turning our tassels on graduation day, venturing to new places, at homecoming, and dancing together on rooftops here in the city. And they’ve been there for the hardest times too, being an anchor in stormy waters. I’ve done the same for them I think. At every stage, my friends have brought out the good in me and it’s a gift I carry with a deep sense of gratitude and awe.
Byron and Elaine, my first friends outside of family, were my everyday partners in adventure and discovery. We spent summers biking through our neighborhood, inventing games, and creating entire worlds that only we could understand. Friendship with them was pure and free — full of laughter, imagination, and an unspoken loyalty that felt simple yet unbreakable. More than 20 years have passed since then and yet, the essence of our friendship endures.
As I entered my teens, my friendships with Hannah and Rebecca became a constant in the whirlwind of growing up. We were there for each other through it all: first crushes, the thrill of new interests, endless debates on Facebook messenger over what to wear for every occasion, and late-night talks during sleepovers where we dared to dream and explore who we wanted to be. Even as life took us to different cities, we never drifted apart. I still feel the depth of our closeness and it reminds me of just how far we’ve come, together.
In every chapter, friendship has been a quiet, steady love that doesn’t demand a title, holiday, or public gesture but deserves every bit of recognition. Just a couple of weeks ago, I celebrated 16 years of friendship with Hannah, who was in town, and we took the time to really acknowledge and appreciate the journey we've shared; the highs, the lows, and the everyday moments in between. Friendships like these remind me of the goodness woven into my life, a love that endures through every distance and stage. Don’t mind me, I’ll just be celebrating my friendships endlessly and I hope you will too. After all, the love between true friends is every bit as rare and remarkable as romantic love.
Join the conversation in the comments section
How have your friendships shaped who you are, and how might you celebrate those friends who have been by your side? 👥
If friendship anniversaries were a thing, what milestone would you mark, and with whom? 🫶
How would your friendships look if they were honored with similar intention that we give romantic relationships? Would anything change? 🤔
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Nice article! Well done!
A toast to friendship 🥂💛
One of the greatest gifts of life I totally agree