We live in a world that loves instant everything — instant coffee, instant results, instant connections. But friendship doesn’t follow that recipe. It’s more like a slow stew; you have to keep it on the stove, stirring now and then, letting it deepen with time.
Real friendship grows from repeated exposure — the gentle rhythm of seeing someone again and again until your hearts learn the shape of each other’s presence. It’s the second dinner where jokes start to run, the third walk when silence feels easy, the fifth message that says, “Just checking in.” That’s when something quiet and beautiful begins to root.
We often forget that comfort can’t be rushed. Trust needs to see you turn up on rainy days, not only sunny ones. Familiarity is built through the unremarkable — the casual chats, the shared meals, the moments that don’t make headlines but leave warmth behind.
So if you’ve joined a Flock and thought, “It was nice, but I didn’t meet my best friend,” — good. You’re doing it right. Because the best connections don’t hatch overnight; they grow feather by feather, gathering strength through patience and presence.
Keep showing up. Sit at the same table again. Laugh at the same story twice. That’s how strangers become friends, and friends become family.
With love,
Mother Hen