Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
Anyone who has felt the pain of having a dear friend move far away, and I don’t think many of us make it into adulthood without that experience, would be able to relate to the underlying premise of the book Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. Less relatable might be going to couples... Continue Reading →
As we emerge from our Covid-19 Pandemic cocoons this spring and reignite old friendships, we may find ourselves being a little cautious about forming new ones. Spotting a familiar face at the store or dog park has been tricky when obscured by masks, and don’t even get me started about the challenges of chatting through... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wondered whatever happened to that overachieving kid from your freshman dorm? Or what about that sorority girl who could plan the biggest campus fundraiser of the year, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and dating the hot frat guy? Well, Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace did, and they turned their quest for answers... Continue Reading →
About a month after my college graduation, I found myself sitting in Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport waiting for my flight to Washington DC. My parents were with me, and I tried hard to absorb their familiar loving faces deep into the fabric of my mind. I wanted to be able to call forth their images at... Continue Reading →
In September 2011, everything around me was changing. In the span of a few months, I had given notice at work, packed up my family to move from Chicago to the suburbs, and switched my boys from daycare near work to preschools in our new community. These were all big changes designed to create some semblance of calm in our family, following the start of my older son’s near daily mix of occupational, speech and play therapy after his diagnosis of... Continue Reading →
One of the first books on our reading list when we started the research process for LOF was Lydia Denworth’s latest work, Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond. This sweeping compilation of the emerging science behind our basic human need to connect fascinated us and inspired us to continue laying the foundation for our... Continue Reading →
In my senior year of college at Northwestern University, I shared a dilapidated off-campus house in Evanston with a group of close friends. All of us had arrived at college from other parts of the country, but we’d been friends for four years now. We became like family that year, sharing meals, study sessions and... Continue Reading →
Launching a podcast became an integral part of our goal in creating this site. This first episode is our inaugural attempt to introduce our ideas and also to figure out the software to make it work. How'd we do? We are always looking for feedback, ideas and stories to feature in future episodes, so be... Continue Reading →
When Sara and I decided to develop a blog on the topic of friendship, we were only vaguely aware of the scientifically proven link between friendships and physical health. As we dove into books covering this subject, one unexpectedly wonderful read we discovered was Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, written by Vivek Murthy, MD. In this well-written and engaging book, Dr. Murthy vividly makes the case for... Continue Reading →
It was now the late days of 1987. I had about two weeks left of winter break before I had to head back up North for the second half of my freshman year. The younger siblings I had been excited to see after months away at school were wearing on my nerves. I had talked... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 