How a Gym Membership Rekindled an Old Friendship 

A few weeks ago, something unexpected happened. 

Through my gym membership, I reconnected with a childhood friend. We had stayed loosely in touch over the years, following each other's lives from a distance as many people do, but life had a way of getting in the way. Careers, families, responsibilities, and busy schedules gradually pushed our friendship to the edges of our lives. 

Then suddenly, because of a new gym membership, we found ourselves crossing paths regularly. 

What's struck me most is that I've probably seen her more in the last month than I have in the previous five years. We've trained together, shared a few personal training sessions, and rewarded ourselves with the occasional coffee and wonderful jacuzzi chats afterwards. 

What could have been a quick hello at reception has become laughter, conversation, encouragement, and genuine connection. 

I even get to see some of her family who regularly join us for a swim or gym session. And honestly, it's been lovely. It's reminded me of something I think many of us forget as adults: 

Friendship doesn't always disappear because something went wrong. 

Sometimes it simply gets crowded out by life. 

When we're young, friendship often feels effortless. We see people every day at school, college, church, work, sports clubs, or in our neighbourhoods. 

Connection happens naturally because proximity does most of the heavy lifting. 

As adults, that's rarely the case. Friendships require planning, effort, and intentionality. If we're not careful, months turn into years without seeing people we genuinely care about. The strange thing is that many of these friendships aren't broken. They're just dormant. Sometimes all that's needed is a shared activity, a chance encounter, or a simple invitation to bring them back to life. That's certainly been my experience recently. 

A Throwaway Culture 

The experience has also made me reflect on the culture we live in. We're encouraged to move on from things quickly. When something becomes difficult, inconvenient, or no longer fits neatly into our lives, we're often told to let it go and find something new. While there are certainly relationships that need healthy endings, I sometimes wonder if we've become a little too comfortable with disposability. Maybe you have let go of a relationship because they cancelled on you at the last minute or didn’t agree with all of your views. Sometimes that's true. People do change. Relationships can become unhealthy. Boundaries matter. But I also wonder whether we've lost some of our willingness to work at relationships that simply require a little more effort. 

And then there's ghosting. Who would have thought that ghosting would become a normal part of adult relationships? At some point, we collectively decided that disappearing without explanation was easier than having an honest conversation. We leave messages unanswered, invitations ignored, and friendships quietly abandoned. In many ways, ghosting is the ultimate expression of a throwaway culture. It allows us to exit relationships without acknowledging the impact on the other person. Friendship Matters 

One of the themes Marisa G. Franco explores in Platonic is that friendship is far more important than many of us have been led to believe. Friendship isn't an optional extra. It isn't the relationship category that sits underneath family or romantic relationships. Friendship shapes our wellbeing, our sense of belonging, and our experience of life itself. The people who cheer us on, listen without judgement, celebrate our successes, and sit alongside us through the difficult seasons are not peripheral characters in our story. They're often some of the most important people in it. 

An Unexpected Reminder 

As I've chatted, trained, laughed, and occasionally complained my way through workouts with my old friend, I've been reminded of how much joy friendship brings. Not because we're doing anything particularly extraordinary. Just because we're showing up. Sharing life. Having conversations that matter. Being present. In a culture that often encourages us to keep moving on, perhaps friendship offers us something different. Perhaps it reminds us that some relationships are worth revisiting. Some people are worth reconnecting with. And some friendships don't need to be replaced. They just need a little attention. As I start this series on friendship, that's the thought I keep coming back to. Maybe the question isn't whether we have time for friendship. Maybe the question is whether we can afford to lose it. 

Reflection Question 

Is there someone from your past who you've been meaning to reconnect with? What might happen if you sent that message today?