I have always been good at recognizing kindred spirits, but terrible at the patient work of building shared history. When I have a built-in system to see friends each day, there is little challenge: I go to work, see them, and sense of regularity is built into my everyday life. However, when the system is not already in place–it could be that I changed jobs, moved to a new place, or am using my free time in a different way–it becomes much more difficult to do so. As a result, I have struggled heavily with isolation.
Why Friendships Are Like Stalactites
