Friendships & Self-Growth

February 2024

There’s a quote by British poet George Herbert that says, “The best mirror is an old friend.” 

As someone who’s been sending 20 minute voice notes to her friends for almost five years, I can safely attest to this!

With all the ways a person can change through the years, I realize that there has been an inextricable link between my self-growth and the power of the female friendships I carried with me. 

Whether it was friends from my childhood who remembered my favorite snacks or new friends I made in my 20s who could talk relationship advice, I felt comfortable to be myself. Yet, as I made friends later in life and from different age ranges, I found that they pushed me to redefine my career trajectory, spoke up about their past experiences to help me make sense of mine, and guided me to simply think differently about my sense of purpose.

The beauty of creating new friendships both early and later on in life meant I’ve been fortunate enough to have a circle of friends who hold different worldviews yet share similar values.  From a place of love they hold me accountable, point out how I’ve changed in the ways I’ve always wanted, and support every version of myself that I’ve chosen to be. They are the people who remind me to look back and celebrate the person that I am, even as I mend my own flaws and insecurities. 

In honor of the start of the year and all that you may grow to be in the coming months, consider pondering some self-reflective questions with your friends. See what they have to say about you, themselves, and how you can serve as a mirror to each other. 

• What kind of activities did you completely get immersed in as a kid? Do you still connect to those things today? 
  

• What patterns do you notice in your life? What are you constantly fighting against and what would you prefer to make space for? 
  

• In an ideal world, what would your life of ease look like? 
  

• What choices can you make to acknowledge and heal the previous versions of yourself? 

Women supporting each other is not always an example I saw in the Indo-Caribbean community or even Western media, yet my life was defined by the strength and community of the women around me. I  hope you choose to always be a mirror to a close friend in your life so that you can reflect back all of their light, beauty, and growth.