Is the key to happiness healthier, stronger relationships?

Musings on relationships of all kinds

Two of my closest friends + me several years and many pounds ago

I remember reading a longitudinal study at some point tracking people as they aged and went through life. It seems like the key to happiness is from the relationships you build with the people around you.

Ironically enough, COVID actually brought me closer to my friends. Suddenly, all the things that you could go out and fill up your time doing weren’t as available. Calls were more frequently scheduled, and sometimes it seemed like mutual suffering could bring people together (hello AP Music Theory friends, remember those days?).

I spent a lot more time at home, and my bonds with my family grew deeper as well. There’s a certain kind of companionship you develop with people once you live with them long enough. You don’t need to impress them or be anyone other than who you are.

But that’s if you’re in a loving, accepting household. This might not be the case for others. For some, friends are their chosen family. And that’s okay, too!

(Not that it’s always been rainbows and butterflies at home, but my family is very supportive of my passions and dreams, even when they change due to unforeseen circumstances. Like how my dream of becoming an elementary school teacher was dashed by the…