"It's not that we don't experience commitment inside our friendships. But we don't often declare it. Through support and help, through engagement and participation, we extend our time and energy to people we are committed to. But the degree to which we are committed bumps up against that lack of clarity when we want a friendship to hold significance in our lives that looks closer to what our culture expects from romantic love. I wonder what we are missing out on by not clarifying the expectations and boundaries of our friendships and hopes for our relationships.
What would it look like if we had more models for articulating out commitment to our friendships? Not just that we are committed but what that commitment looks like, what they can expect from us and us from them. What spaces for safety and intimacy and care would open up for us? Would we have more support when we are sick or grieving, or facing hardships like losing a job or a home? Would we have more room in our lives to take risks and follow dreams if we were making those decisions inside committed friendships?"
Mia Birdsong