Today is my best friend’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Jo! Today is also the last Friday of the month, which means We Are the World BlogFest (#WATWB). And I want to talk about the power of friendship.

The Power of Friendship #WATWB

Jo and I have known each other almost all our lives. We attended the same schools and college, and we even worked together in a couple of jobs as we explored career options. More recently we have taken our children on holidays and daytrips together, and always there are the drunken nights out to celebrate birthdays, Christmas and other events. They are not so frequent these days, but we try and do what we can. And it isn’t just the fun stuff. We both have health challenges, and we have both experienced various traumatic events and life changes during the years. We see each other through these events as best we can, always at the end of the phone or just up the motorway.

I want to celebrate friendships in general. Here on my blog I have connected with lots of like-minded people from around the world, and I am grateful to all of you for choosing to engage with me and my words. Your support for my recent bereavement has been incredible, and the network I am building around life with chronic pain is just fantastic. We need each other to help us through the dark times, and to celebrate the happy times.

Friendship has evolved with social media

In the era of social media and screen time, friendship has evolved into something global. Lots of people my age (late thirties), have made friends in other countries, and make time to visit those friends when they can. We have modern technology through which to speak, and that comes in very helpful when I speak to my friends over in Australia. We are connected to our friends in ways that were never thought possible just one hundred years ago. And our friends are what keep us going. You can’t choose your family, but you can choose your friends. And I am grateful for all my friends, both local, national and international. I love you all!

We are the World BlogFest (#WATWB) focuses on positive stories no matter where they’re found. It is all about spreading peace and humanity on social media. All participants post on the last Friday of the month, sharing a positive news story that contributes to making our world a happier, safer, and better place to live.

You can find more about #WATWB over on Belinda Witzenhausen’s blog.

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