I’d like to present to you a list of experiences (that society claims can only ever be romantic) which I’ve had with my friends, because platonic relationships are just as important as romantic relationships if not more so.
dancing in the kitchen at night in the light from the fridge (we listened to Rewrite the Stars and slow-danced in our pyjamas)
surprise visits (my friend drove over to my house after their shift at work to give me a hug after my exam didn’t go well)
looking after each other when sick (I used to keep extra painkillers in my bag for when my friend got headaches, my other friend always used to bring a spare hoodie because I feel the cold a lot, whenever we had colds we could bring each other our favourite snacks to share between classes)
baking together (I have a friend who is an absolute wizard at baking cookies. We made cookies at 1am and shared secrets while sitting against the oven door to keep warm)
forehead kisses (physical touch is one of my love languages to be fair but when I say goodbye to my friends who like hugs I always give them a forehead kiss too)
making each other playlists (i have a friend at uni so we don’t talk as much anymore but we always text each other a song each week that we think the other will enjoy)
watching the stars (when I first passed my driving test I drove into the middle of nowhere with my friend and we watched a meteor shower and saw the sunrise. we didn’t talk because sometimes silence is important too and there is comfort in just having someone there)
matching costumes (when we graduated high school my friends matched our costumes and went in animal onesies - we forgot a spare change of clothes and had to walk through town dressed as giraffes but it was funny)
going on a date (my friend and I didn’t have Valentine’s dates so we bought each other flowers and went to see a movie together)
holding hands (I have cold hands. my friend has warm hands. it’s simple science really)
picnic (we brought my dog too and my friend made fruit flapjacks and we watched the sunset)
surprise gifts (my friend brought me my favourite chocolate after my final exam)
New Year’s kiss (forehead kiss but it counts)
writing each other letters (we write each other letters on our birthdays including jokes, favourite memories, the future, the past, and everything in between)
I have many more examples but these are just a few. We’ve been taught to put so much emphasis on finding a romantic s/o that we sometimes forget we can experience love in so many other forms. And if you’ve never had any of these moments, don’t worry. You have plenty of time and someone out there is waiting for you to come into their life, be that romantically, platonically or some other way.
