Something heartwarming happened on Friday. As I was dealing with my overflowing work inbox, there was a knock at the door. A delivery man handed me a big package that was addressed to me. With no idea what it could be, I went into the living room to share the excitement with grandma. She loves opening up packages and has a surprisingly strong grip – no package has defeated her yet. We both tore off the tape and opened the cardboard box to find a beautiful book inside from my photographer friend with a note that said: ‘ I hope you enjoy this virtual trip around the world together!‘. Grandma declared it was wonderful and will be spending many happy hours with her special light and magnifying glass going through the stunning photographs from his many adventures.

I’m really touched by that gift, and it makes me realise how lucky I am to have supportive friends. I have friends all over the world and I feel privileged to be part of their lives.

My photographer friend is kind, very wise, a genius (he will roll his eyes when he reads that bit), and I have been living vicariously through him ever since he started travelling the world, capturing the beauty of our planet. He (sort of) accepts that I don’t have instagram and texts me unbelievable shots from far flung locations that make me want to hop on a plane and join him.

I have a friend who sometimes calls me at night – she lives in the future in Australia – to check in on me and we inevitably end up having a mini board meeting about the business she runs in Brisbane. I love it, it temporarily takes me out of my current situation and gets my brain engaged on something else than stress and work. We also laugh a lot and it is always the highlight of my week.

A friend of mine is an impeccable human being and that I love to bits. Our relationship was cemented when we worked together and during busy periods, I would call her several times a day. She is so supportive and always makes time to see me when I come to London despite her busy life. She is also a great cook and we have great foodie WhatsApp chats.

I’m in touch with my Italian friend most days, we met at university in the UK. We see each other rarely, but when we caught up in Manchester a few weeks ago, we picked up right where we left off and it was wonderful. I was relieved to find that our friendship was not diminished by our mostly virtual interactions.

Closer to home, I have made my newest friend. After seeing her many times on my hikes on the moors, her big bullmastiff dogs decided we should introduce ourselves and came to see me for slobbery cuddles which led to us chatting, and we now regularly walk together on weekends. I love her company, she is a funny, accomplished woman that I’m learning a lot from. We end our walks with a coffee and a chat in her kitchen before I have to go back to my duties and cook lunch. I always leave her house with a smile on my face and a spring in my step (particularly helpful as I have to hike back down to the village).

The friend list goes on, I don’t know what I would do or how I would cope without their support and our little rituals. I look forward to the weekly ‘TGIF’ text from a friend I have known since high school when I lived in France (and share a mutual love of brunch with), or the long ‘walk and talk’ phone conversations with my friend while we’re both hiking- her with her dog in Kent; and me in the Lancashire countryside. The long virtual conversations with former colleagues turned friends in the UK and in South Africa are a complete joy and we always chat for far too long, only hanging up when we absolutely have to.

To all my friends – thank you. I know we never see each other, and I’m always saying how tired I am. I’m not the best friend and we mostly rely on texting as our means of communication; but please know that I am so grateful that you have chosen to keep me as part of your lives despite the distance. You’re all my carers and I wouldn’t be able to cope without you. Also, please don’t be offended if I didn’t specifically shout you out, it would have been a long blog!

PS: if you’re curious, take a look at my friend’s photos here: https://theflore.com/