Friendship Resolutions

January has become one of my favorite months. The frenetic pace and stress of the holidays has ended and the days are finally starting to lengthen, if just a bit. It’s also time for fresh starts. I’ve found that when I view January with a sense of possibility, it allows me to prioritize what I find meaningful. After the whirlwind of the past few months, I’ve resolved to do more reconnecting with old friends and being open to creating new connections in 2024.

One of our most popular friendship posts was about taking walks with friends. In early 2021, I wrote about my friend Dean’s decision to prioritize both health and friendship. Because of the limited ways we could safely connect with others during the Covid-19 pandemic, Dean quickly realized that planning walks with friends allowed him to combine two of his favorite things: fitness and connections.

“Connecting with people is my oxygen. I’m a relationship-driven person. This is a great way I can connect with someone I care about and share a story of how they came into my life and are special to me.” 

Dean Petrulakis, Walks With Friends

Dean’s friendship walks continue to serve as inspiration for me as well. My New Year’s Eve morning walk with my friend Shalini gave us the opportunity to catch up after many months of sporadic texts, while getting in a long walk on a day we might have otherwise hibernated at home.

Now that bringing together groups of people is no longer taboo, I look forward to re-engaging with my book club, and maybe even starting a games night tradition. I grew up in a family that loved to play games. And games like Trivial Pursuit, Cranium or Taboo are perfect fodder for a game’s night. On New Year’s Eve my fiancé and I hosted a game night with a handful of friends that revealed the competitive spirit of some of our friends, and much laughter.

A recent article in the Philly Voice reported, “Exercise isn’t the only pathway to a higher quality of life; mental health is paramount, as well.” Laughing with others is a great way to improve both your physical and emotional health. According to the Cleveland Clinic‘s website, “laughter can relieve stress, strengthen your relationships and even do your body good.”

With the geo-political tensions in the world today, finding reasons to laugh is more important than ever. If you’re looking for something easier to coordinate with friends than a games night, cue up a comedy on Netflix or at the local cinema. Rewatching comedy classics like Anchorman or a newer hit like Barbie can lead to shared laughter and heightened moods that last beyond the credits.

If you are up for trying a new way to bond with others while (hopefully) making them laugh, consider taking an improv or comedy class. I tried stand-up in the fall of 2022 and enjoyed getting to know my fellow students, as well as seeing a new side of my now-fiancé’s sense of humor. And as a bonus, I developed some material to test out on new friends.

Julia and her stand-up class post-performance at the Laughing Academy, Glenview, in fall 2022.