HOW TO REKINDLE A friendship

When my friend, Jessica, texted out of the blue, I was hit by a mix of emotions: happiness, relief and guilt. After weeks of no contact between us turned into months and then a year and a half, the longer we went without speaking, the harder it was to pick up the phone. I felt increasingly embarrassed and ashamed for not reaching out to her.

We arranged to meet for coffee. I was nervous beforehand, worrying it would be awkward and that the gap had caused irrevocable damage. We had chatted over text about why it had been so long. I had apologised for not being there for her, and was honest about how the length of time had made it more difficult to reconnect. I told her that I’d missed spending time with her and hoped