I began to appreciate the process of making friends as a long-term endeavor that couldn’t be short-circuited. You can’t “speed-date” a new friend.

Friendships I had developed over the past came from shared stories and experiences, from being vulnerable together to being curious about each other’s points of view and their own stories, hopes, and aspirations.

All of that takes time.

You can see how much time it takes to keep friends close over time in my latest Substack issue, out now robynmetcalfe.substack.com/subscribe.