They say that you discover who your friends are when you go through tough times. I do not disagree and have in fact learned this sentiment the hard way through much of my adulthood. But I happen to think that friendship exists more meaningfully in life’s most ordinary moments, in the space between success and failure, in the silence between luck and misfortune.

When I take a mental inventory of my life’s cast of characters I cannot help but feel incredibly rich. We are never as wealthy as when surrounded by the company of true friends, of kindred spirits with whom we share the deepest parts of ourselves.

Friendship is at the heart of all fulfilling human relationships. Connections that exist solely because of biology or legally binding contracts inevitably crumble in the absence of affection, warmth and esteem.

I spend a great deal of time lamenting my singlehood, willing an emotionally-stable, secure and super sexy man to materialize out of Denver’s thin air. I often feel sad about the lack of a romantic relationship in my life. Sad, that is, until I realized that friendship is all we need to give and receive love, to feel whole and happy, to be supported and to share ourselves.

In genuine friendship I am myself without fear of judgement. I am anxious, hung-up, irrational and sometimes needy. Yet my friends not only accept me, but love, support and appreciate me. Whether they do so in spite of my neuroses or because of them, I know they will comfort me in moments of misery and celebrate with me in times of triumph. I always know they are there, that they exist, that without question they will share in the mundane and meaningless moments of my life.

I am reminded of the intangible but powerful bonds of friendship each time I feel a tug on the twine that holds my heart close to the heart of a friend. Friendship fills my life with meaning and my days with worth. As I wander the meandering road of life it is my friendships that most fully provide me with purpose.

I find comfort knowing that so many pieces of myself now exist in others, that my words reverberate in their minds and my laughter sings in their hearts.  And I find joy in the pieces of others that now exist within me. I hold hope that I will one day find romance and love but it better start with a damn good friendship because friendship is all we need.