Amitié, a lovely French word, meaning friendship and peaceful harmony and so relevant this year. 2023 has been full of endings and beginnings, opportunities and challenges and friends in all forms have come forward often at the 13th hour. When an Embassy visit was needed, French neighbours gave keys to their Paris apartment with the promise of a dinner as payment next time we meet. During a challenge, a work friend kept in contact across the seas offering support and checking in to ensure that the equilibrium settled. Others have been there to offer a drink, a kind word, an alternative perspective or vital information to make sense of it all when needed. These connections are so important when sometimes it feels like us and the cat against the world! They help sort through confused thoughts and perceptions to clear the skies of grey clouds. Others have historical foundations that have stood the test of time and geographical distance, even just offering supportive murmurs at moments of frustration. As Marlene Dietrich said, “It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” Something I hope never to have to do but it is knowing that you can.
