For many, friendship is more important than romance (and experts say that’s a good thing)

When I turned 30 – because sometimes life can be very on the nose – I realized something: I had developed a wonderful network of friends for the first time in my life. They became my firsts: the first people I go to when I have good or bad news, when I need advice and when I need a laugh. When the pandemic began, and I had started a new job and was in a difficult space with my family, they were the ones I spoke to every day. We made each other feel like we could get through anything and we sent each other goodie packages when we inevitably got sick. It was true platonic love. They became my family.