You’ve Got a Friend in Me, Right?

I was scrolling through Facebook one day, when I saw an incredible meme that read, “Friendships are a lot like farts, if you have to force it, it’s probably sh**.” In the midst of all the laughter, because that is pretty phenomenal, it also led to a massive reflective experience about my past and current friendships – Which led to the ultimate question – Why are friendships so fracking hard?

Cue in one of my closest friends, and probably one of my oldest friendships- Maria! We are spending our first episode exploring friendships; particularly ours and how we have endured 22 years of togetherness surviving the awkward years of middle and high school, going to separate colleges, traveling abroad, marriage, living in different states 2500 miles apart, raising our children, and trying to make it through a pandemic. We take a dive into the trials and tribulations of developing and maintaining new friendships, especially in your 30s. 

Questions to ponder for yourself: What does a healthy friendship look and feel like to you? What are your non-negotiables? What does it mean to “show up” in your friend circle? Are you holding onto toxic people? How do you make sure that you and the people in your circle meet the emotional, mental and social needs? 

If you feel so inclined, gather your closest friends and rate these famous fictional friendships from “totally friendship goals to how did that ever work” and see how you align in your thinking!

Tommy/Chuckie (Rugrats)

Arnold/Gerald (Hey Arnold)

TJ Detweiler/Ashley Spinelli (Recess)

Chandler/Joey (Friends)

Frodo/Sam (Lord of the Rings Trilogy -book/movie)

Buzz/Woody (Toy Story)

Sherlock/Watson (Book, Movie, TV series- you decide)

Cher/Dionne (Clueless)

Tweets and articles about Friendships in your 30s:

Why is it Hard to Make Friends Over 30?, by Alex Williams – published  by the New York Times, 2012

Why Your Friend Circle Changes in Your 30s, by Julia Austin – published by Madamnoire, 2020

28 Tweets that Accurately Sum Up Friendships in Your 30s, by Brittany Wong – published in Huffpost 2019