Breathe Magazine – Issue 70 (Current Issue)

In this issue: Feelings have a place – Go on, take a moment – ‘A carnival of sound’ – Fabric of film – Drift away – Mind games – Into the inky black abyss – Thereby hangs a tale – It’s on me – The joy of zero

‘We just pick up where we left off.’ Weeks, months, even years, might have gone by with minimal to no contact, but one glimpse of that old schoolfriend or favourite cousin and the spark, the warmth, the fun returns. On and on goes the chat and reminiscing, sometimes into the early hours. It’s magical when it happens.

Most friendships, however – just like a job, a craft or a course of study – require more effort. Picking up where you left off might be more challenging, for example, if it means returning to last week’s disagreement on how to move forward after redundancy or divorce, or offering ongoing support with the emotional impact of bereavement.

Spared the nuances of navigating each other’s life-changing moments, it becomes easier to reminisce about the ‘good times’ – the ill-advised joint- hair-dyeing experiment that turned brown locks green or the day auntie put salt instead of sugar into the fruit scones. There’ll have been difficult experiences, too, of course, but somehow even these can take on a rosier hue with the passage of time. For friends who are on hand week in, week out, however, the chances are the good times will be interspersed with dilemmas, doubt, anxiety and tears.

The thing is friendships come in all shapes and sizes. Some will last a lifetime, many won’t; some will be ever-present, others might become distanced by land or sea. Being able to pick up where you left off is indeed magical, but being there to pick each other up when times get hard – whether that’s in person or at the end of the phone – well, that’s pretty special too.