"It is better to have one friend who is worth much than to have many who are worth nothing." - Julius Wilhelm Zincgref (Apophthegmata)
Friendship is not only one of the most important values, but also valuable!
When I was thinking about friendships, my friend Lea immediately came to mind. We met almost exactly four years ago; we were both on the big trip of our lives, a year abroad in France. We became friends and met up often, but that year ended sooner than I expected. I wondered if the friendship was over, what was it like now? She lives in Ulm, I live in Cologne, which isn't like Paris, the 10th and 19th arrondissements. I really liked her. A few months later, around Christmas time, I received a letter from Lea. It was a handmade letter. This was a special surprise, and every year a wonderful memory of this person flutters through my mailbox. The letters are made with love and tell of a wonderful time in Paris!
A short time later, we planned our first trip to Paris—after all, that was our connection. It became a tradition. Once a year, we meet up with all the girls, our Paris clique, in Paris. And I wouldn't have believed it myself, but every time the Thalys stops in Paris and I walk to the metro at Gare du Nord, I feel at home, and as soon as we girls meet, everything is just like it was four years ago. The friendship remains; it hasn't changed, even though our lives are very different.
The annual letters and the "reunions" in Paris are already very valuable, but what I would like to emphasize even more is that Lea and I don't have much contact. Sometimes we don't speak for months, then we speak a little more. But I know that if something happens, I'll call her, she'll have time, we'll chat, and everything will be just like it was four years ago when it all began and we lived in the 10th and 19th arrondissements.
