It was only after I moved to another country that I realised how blessed I was to have the network of friends that I did back home. We take friendships for granted, perhaps because there are no expectations, no rules to follow. Over the years, many friendships have faded as well as resumed, some have reached a comfortable silent phase and some continue to be in the “we gotta get retirement homes next to each other” mode. I think the strongest friendships are ones in which you are accepting of each other’s time and space, respect the reasons to go off radar for a while, and welcome the return, if it happens. Happy Friendship Day, everyone!