6 Ingredients for a Friendship that Shimmies!!

Josie Balka is a magician with words. She can talk about the most raw topics like body image, grief, and love and somehow make you feel seen, heard, bawling, and hopeful...at once. It's a wild remix. Like a chipotle bowl with flavours you'd never think would be well together.

Her new video, “Friendship Is the Love That Endures the Ages,” inspired me to think about what really makes a friendship thrive.

1) They welcome all of parts you - including the messy and marvelous

Friendship, to me, is unconditional. Not “I only like you when you’re glowing and positive,” but “I’m here for the parts of you that feel messy, anxious, or scared too.”It’s not about excusing bad behavior, it’s about acceptance. True friends hand you a permission token to give every part of you love.

2) Conversations = ping-pong

For the record, I can’t play ping-pong to save my life. Juicy conversations bounce back and forth: “How about you?” followed by genuine follow-up questions. Sometimes friends just need to vent, but over time, there’s a healthy rhythm of give and take, care and curiosity - like PING PONG!!

3) They match (and escalate) your weird

The best people don’t just tolerate quirks; they celebrate them.They match your weird energy and sometimes out-weird you.Never mind “Is somebody gonna match my freak?”—is somebody gonna match my weird? LOL.

4) Trust without constant check-ins

Life be lifeing sometimes!! Family, mental health, health...all of it means we can’t always text everyday. My friendships are the ones that stay strong even when I’m off the grid.There’s grace, understanding, and endless permission to chase passions while knowing the bond is still solid.

5) Leaning In With Eachother

The friendships I treasure most are the ones where we BOTH lean on eachother and can hyena-laugh over embarrassing moments and cry through unexpected plot twists.

6) Friends who Play Together Stay together

Play is one of my top values for 2025. It nurtures and heals my inner child, the little girl that sometimes feels like she grew up too fast. My most meaningful connections are built on play: moments when we stop thinking so hard, keep the inner kid alive, and just…boom!

Signing out,

LilCDawg