An Ode to Friendship

Why friends form a core part of our identity — and why this kind of intimacy matters

In the English language, the word ‘friend’ is used as a catch-all term for people we have met over the years. We use it for anyone from our most intimate relationships to someone we hung out at high school with two decades ago.

I want to get more granular.

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship recently. Last week I returned to Amsterdam after two months in my gorgeous homeland. Amsterdam is grey and cold. It’s not freezing, and I missed most of the winter — as everyone goes to lengths to point out to me, laced with only a hint of resentment.

However, after spending two months in blissful Australian sunshine (here’s the Instie feed to prove it), the question has crossed my mind: what am I doing here?

I’m single, I work remotely, I’m a nature addict. Why Amsterdam?

And the answer that emerges: I have a nexus of incredible relationships here. Friendships that run so deep they define, ground, and nourish me.

As an avid traveler who has lived on four continents, I’ve met many incredible people and garnered countless beautiful memories. And yet, not everyone with whom I’ve connected is a friend. True friendship goes…