Why Nurturing Friendships Is the Key to Feeling at Home Anywhere

Today, I finally met in person a woman I’ve only ever seen on Zoom for the past two years. From our very first encounter, there was this intuitive, energetic recognition — as if I already knew her. All two square inches of her on that screen!

From the start, we both sensed it: a soul connection. That mysterious, undecipherable knowing. From different lands, cultures, and life experiences, we somehow ended up in the same Zoom room. I’m convinced the Gods were playing chess with me as the pawn, carefully moving me toward her.

Thanks to WhatsApp voice notes, we’ve kept our connection alive — sharing little pieces of our daily lives and staying current. As fate would have it, she lives only an hour from my sister, who graciously loaned me her car. Guided by the sat nav Gods, I wound my way through Pennsylvania and landed at her front door.

Seeing her felt like reuniting with a long-lost friend — the kind of reunion where you’re discovering new things but at the same time completely at ease, like hanging out with your oldest bestie. Simply being in her presence felt affirming, grounding me in my own.

I’ve noticed lately the quality of the friendships I’m attracting. They’re deep, real, funny, authentic — full of life. Maybe it’s timing. This summer, for example, I reconnected with someone I’d technically known my whole life but never truly known. Suddenly, there we were, played onto the same chessboard again, this time in London. Another beautiful connection.

I feel blessed with incredible friends — privileged to have more than a few soul sisters — and deeply grateful for every new connection that enters my life.

Coming back to the homeland always feels different. This time, I find myself fascinated by the dense summer foliage, draped like a green blanket opening up to a spaciousness that I hadn’t noticed before — everything seems bigger: the rooms, the houses, the roads, the cars, the distances.

This weekend, I’ll see my lifelong BFF. We’ll hang out in the wide-open comfort of her Boston home and instantly close the distance with our first conversation. Seeing her is home. No matter where we are in life or what’s happening, she is a constant.

Our friends fuel our lives. Cherish them. Prioritise them.