A Little Band, A Lot of Emotion

Gold has always been a precious commodity.
Lovers choose it, brides treasure it, and for many women, it hits a soft (and sometimes sore) spot.

But ask a teenager back in day:
A friendship band or a gold bangle?
Well… you might already guess the answer!

Ah, friendship bands.
Our version of "claiming territory."
Back in the day, if you tied one around someone’s wrist, it basically meant:
“This one's mine: bestie-level exclusive.”

And oh, the drama they caused.
Someone giving away your friendship bracelet? That was our version of betrayal.
Forget heartbreak from a crush, this was emotional sabotage with glittery thread.

Now picture this:

Your friend gave away your friendship bracelet, and you don’t know why.
You asked her gently. She dodged the question and started talking about her new hair clips or something completely random.
You're left wondering:
"Does she even want to be friends anymore?"

Confusing, isn't it, dear one? I feel you.

But maybe, just maybe, it’s time to change your perspective.

The bracelet is gone...

There’s a scene in Harold and Maude (1971), where Harold gives Maude a ring. She admires it… and then hurls it into a lake.
Harold is stunned. “Why did you do that?”
Maude calmly replies, “Because now I’ll always know where it is.”

The point? The thing wasn’t the point. The connection was.

But definitely this wasn't the case in our case!

So maybe you’re asking the wrong question.

Not “Does she want to be friends?”
But rather:
“Do you still want to be friends with her?”

Because here’s the thing:
You’re allowed to be friends with anyone for whatever reason you like.
You don’t owe anyone an explanation.

And if your friend starts acting in ways you don’t understand, take a moment to remember the wise words of Mister Rogers:

“There’s no person in the whole world like you, and I like you just the way you are.”

Arghhh... That’s not helping. These quotes; they never help.

(The younger me was maybe thinking to myself)
By the way, he was talking about you.

And being friends—or not—with her?
Maybe it’s just a regular reminder of how unique you are, and how colorful and complicated friendship can be.

Pure bullshit.
P. E. R. I. O. D.

WHY ON EARTH WOULD SHE DO THAT? WHY!?

---

So here's what happened: seeing this band in my daughter’s photos instantly took me back to my own time. Friendship bands just aren’t the thing anymore like they used to be. This one, she bought for herself during our trip to Hunza. A few days ago, it went missing, and she created quite a stir over it. I told her, “You bought it yourself... worst-case scenario, even if it doesn’t turn up, it’s okay.” But no, she was not having it. Thankfully, we found it in the end.

This photo is part of that little saga. She had pulled it from her camera roll and sent it to her grandmother, saying, “This is the one that’s missing,” just for reference. And lo and behold, we found it.

Maybe there really is something about these bands, some kind of charm that girls are naturally drawn to. Something about feeling like they belong... I don’t know. Maybe I’m just overthinking.

The silence surrounding the fact that the band wasn’t given to her by a friend… and yet, she still wants to wear it sometimes.

Maybe it’s just life’s way of reminding her how uniquely she fits into this messy, beautiful puzzle of friendship. It’s all there in the name: friendship band.

And in that moment, I made a silent prayer too:

May your wrist always have room for one more band,
And may you never run out of people weird enough to wear one proudly.

_{my other daughter with her friend}