Jumpsuit: Free People, Espadrilles: Castaner, Bag: Staud, Sunglasses: Mango
Pals, mates, chums, marras (ok, that might just be a Northern thing) but whatever you call them, we all have (and are) friends. I feel like i've read a lot of posts and articles on friendship recently, and also had a lot of conversations and opinions on it too, so it got me thinking about how lucky I am with my bunch. Since the age of about 16 I’ve had a close knit group of girl friends, more like sisters, by my side. They’re always there (whether that be in person or otherwise); to have an absolute lol with, to talk with, to argue with, to explore the world with, to dance (badly) with, to celebrate with, to cry with and ultimately to share my days with. Over the years friends come and go, in and out of your life, and since moving to Manchester for Uni and then on to London for Work I’ve added a few more pals I couldn’t live without into my life along the way. At the grand old age of 28 I feel I have an amazing bunch (and still expanding thanks to the blogging/ ‘gramming world I now find myself in) of strong and inspiring ladies surrounding me (some quite literally and others a bit further afield), always there whatever the weather - and I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
By definition a friend is ‘a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection’ - they pick you up when you’re on the bottom, they’re a bus, train or phone call away when you need a cuddle or a chat, and they’re your biggest fans. Friends come and go, that’s life; people change and grow and move away and relationships drift apart, but that’s ok. Don’t forget friendship is a two way street and you have to make as much effort as you want back from the other person. You get to decide on who is worth your time and effort and well, the ones you’re meant to have in your life will stick by through the rough and the smooth, and be there with a bottle of prosec at the end. As you get older you definitely realise those true friendships and the ones you always want in your life.
Pals come in all different shapes and sizes, and every friend brings something different to the table. You have the ones who give you great advice, the ones who give you great laughs and the ones who give you great hangovers. Sometimes there isn't one size fits all with friendships and it's absolutely ok to have different friends for different needs or, oppositely one friend who actually just ticks all of the boxes. It's about quality, not quantity. It’s not always easy and plain sailing though and like all relationships in life you have to put the effort in, make time, and basically be the person you would want as a pal. Surround yourself with the people who have your back no matter what, who can tell you when you’re being a dick, who you can not see for years but when you come back together it’s like no time has passed, who you can sit up till 3am with crying laughing about something probably not even funny to the outside world, and who you can share anything and everything with because they won’t judge and they’ll always listen.
Time is so precious - be picky with whom you spend it and give as much as you’d want to receive. I hope I’m still as solid with the friends I have now for the next fifty years and beyond.
Rachael
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