Who has your back?

Friendships and any relationships, for that matter, can be hard to navigate, and the truth is, they can be completely different from person to person. I've heard of people with a few tight-knit friends, and that's enough. And I've heard of people who have friends from every different area of their life, being closer with some than others but having those people surrounding them. This can be the same with families with small families staying in their circle or those with 15+ people at every gathering.

I will be the first to admit that I live for the social life. So my friendship groups spread far and wide, and that's how I like it. Then, of course, there are those who I see on the regular, considering these people are some of my closest friends, and there are those that I don't speak with as much, but I know that whenever we do, they will be just as fun and entertaining as the first time I met them. And for all of us, I know there can be those people that we hope to be closer with, whether in a friendship or in a romantic way, but any connection, big or small, can be hard to formulate and let alone put into words.

My family, to put it simply, is a village. We celebrate every holiday and minor ones, try to make an event out of every birthday or at least a fuss and always spend late nights laughing and eating with drinks on the side.

So how do we truly know who has our back? Who is your person? And in turn, who do you have?

My best friend Grace has been at my side since the first day of kindergarten. We didn't meet in a group or were a massive group of friends during school; it was us against the world. Despite the fact that the primary school we attended had around 50 people or less, I am convinced that we just clicked, and allowed us to stay in this perfect duo for as long as we could.

When I changed schools at the age of 10, I can distinctly remember Grace nodding, tears streaming down her face, but she knew that it was what I wanted. Unfortunately, this meant that I had cut off the Friday ritual of begging our parents for a sleepover and seeing each other day in and day out. But our friendship continued nonetheless.

To this day, I see Grace at least once a week minimum. We make time to catch up, we got the same gym, we play on the same netball team, and I have met so many friends through her and, in turn, her through me.

And despite some hiccups, we are there for each other, the perfect pair.

A healthy friendship, though, relies on communication and effort. Grace and I know each other almost inside out, but this is because we say when we are feeling upset or angry (even if it's with the other person),

whatever it may be. However, many people don't have this and lose unique relationships because of miscommunication and stubbornness.

Identifying those closest to you, or even those who maybe need to be let go or reassessed, is hard. Breaking up with someone in any relationship is difficult, no matter the situation or how long you've known someone.

This has happened to me. Bonds I have thought were strong turned out not to be. That is life, I guess. People move, and people change. I'm just glad I've still got Grace.