When Friendships Enter a New Season
There is a quiet moment that happens in many friendships, though we rarely talk about it. Life changes. Someone gets married. Someone moves. Someone’s responsibilities multiply. Suddenly, the rhythm of a once-easy friendship becomes… different. Recently I met a dear friend for the first time in several months. I arrived a few minutes after she did and found her already seated at the table. We hugged, ordered something small, and settled into conversation. Almost immediately she began telling me about work pressures she had been carrying, a difficult situation involving her sister, and a career decision she was wrestling with. I mostly listened. At one point, I noticed something interesting. Nearly the entire conversation had revolved around her life. My mind briefly wondered whether that meant something deeper about where we stood. Had the friendship become one-sided? But as she spoke, I also noticed something else. She was relaxed. Open. Unfiltered in the way people are when they feel...