National Friendship Day
“Friends are the siblings God never gave us”, Mencius (Chinese Philosopher).
1 August is National Friendship Day. It encourages everyone across the world to connect (or reconnect) with friends or even make new ones. Hallmark originally founded it in 1919 and it was intended to be a day for people to celebrate their friendship by sending each other cards.
The world has changed a great deal since, but the basic idea lives on and, in 1998, Winnie the Pooh was named the world’s Ambassador of Friendship by the United Nations
Making Friends
We begin developing friendships when we are very young and do so throughout our lives. When we are children, we explored the world with our school and neighbourhood pals. Together we shared experiences and made plans for the future. Eventually, paths diverge, perhaps going to a different school or university.
Each new friend expands our experience, our view of the world and our culture changes. Their experiences contribute to new meaning in our lives. Through friendships, we grow and broaden our horizons. Eventually, the world becomes smaller and more connected. I am lucky enough, for example, to have friends in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa.
With the advent of social media, it is easy to accumulate “friends”, but are they true ones or acquaintances? As Marlene Dietrich (American Actress) said, “It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter”. How many of yours would answer your call at 4am?
Avoiding Loneliness
But as we get older we lose friends and can find it more difficult to make new ones. This can lead to loneliness, isolation and can exacerbate stress and burnout. So it’s important to nurture and cherish them and perhaps try to find some new ones. Use this National Friendship day to celebrate the ones you have and the new ones you have yet to meet.
Try some of the following:
• Get in contact with your friends for a chat or visit.
• Accept an invitation to meet new people.
• Share a memory with old friends.
• Tell your friends how much you appreciate them.
• Challenge your circle of friends to share an experience they think none of your other friends have had. You will discover new things about your friends and find out just how unique each of them is.
• Send a card / e-card to your friend. It was the original goal of the day.
• Post on social media using #NationalFriendshipDay to encourage others to connect with each other.
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