Save it for the Group Chat

How do you keep in touch with friends?

As the weather warms up, the calendar fills up. This is a central truth that happens every year and for the most part, I look forward to it. There are birthdays to celebrate, beaches to visit, and sometimes big moments like marriages and births. That also means less time for the types of casual hangs I love so much—the drink after work or a weekend walk in the park. For friends who live in different cities, plans are set up months in advance—I’ll be in town in June, can you hold this date?

I’m happy to make a long term plan and love having something to look forward to (research say anticipation is a central part of enjoying trips). As I get older, friendships become even more important and even more complicated. We’re all on our own timelines and sometimes that means less overlap and sometimes it means more. I love having different friendships with different people: some people like a phone call catchup, some prefer to save it for when we’re in person, some of us communicate mostly in memes. I also always want to remind myself (and you) that there’s no cutoff point for making friends. If you’re open to it, you can make friends in all stages of life.