While watching the Golden Globe awards last week, I was introduced to a movie I had no idea even existed: The Banshees of Inisherin. I didn’t know what it was about, or even who was in it, but as each new award came up, and the nominees were named, I got a lot more curious about what I was all about. So, this weekend, we sat down to watch it.
One of the reasons I wanted to bump it to the top of my watch list was hearing how writer and director Martin McDonagh talked about male friendship. Now, I don’t want to spoil it for anybody, so let’s just say that a big theme in the film centers around how men navigate changes in their relationships with each other. There’s obviously a lot more nuance to the storytelling than that, but it reminded me of an episode of Welcome to Wrexham (which I finally binged of the holidays) that has stayed with me for weeks.
In episode 17, called “Wromance,” there’s a lovely exploration of men and their friendships. It talks about how most of them are built around sport, or competition in general, and how different that is from how women build and sustain theirs. It was an interesting insight into the walls most men put up when creating the bonds with people we consider friends, and it reveals to me how rare it is to have close, emotional conversations between men.
So, this is a long introduction to the following thought for tonight: I am very grateful for the friends I have. Admittedly, I’m terrible at friendship I don’t know how to sustain them. I am awful at keeping in touch. I’m reluctant to take time away from my family for something which feels so selfish as spending a few hours watching a soccer match or seeing a band or just sitting quietly together over a couple of glasses of favorite beverages and having an intimate conversation about what’s going on with our lives, both good and bad.
When I started drafting this post, I had one particular friend in mind. But now, as I think of the conversations I’ve cherished and felt grateful for over the last year, the number of people on the other end of them — even if they were just unexpected texts — became greater than I realized, making me rethink how many people I have in my court. I sincerely hope that they all know how much they mean to me. And I am publicly pledging to be better about letting them know just how much this year. And if you’re one of the few people who regularly read these, there’s a good chance I owe you a text, at the very least, to just say, “thanks.”
Kickstand
16 January 2023
The one with the BuzzFeed quiz about friends.
While watching the Golden Globe awards last week, I was introduced to a movie I had no idea even existed: The Banshees of Inisherin. I didn’t know what it was about, or even who was in it, but as each new award came up, and the nominees were named, I got a lot more curious about what I was all about. So, this weekend, we sat down to watch it.
One of the reasons I wanted to bump it to the top of my watch list was hearing how writer and director Martin McDonagh talked about male friendship. Now, I don’t want to spoil it for anybody, so let’s just say that a big theme in the film centers around how men navigate changes in their relationships with each other. There’s obviously a lot more nuance to the storytelling than that, but it reminded me of an episode of Welcome to Wrexham (which I finally binged of the holidays) that has stayed with me for weeks.
In episode 17, called “Wromance,” there’s a lovely exploration of men and their friendships. It talks about how most of them are built around sport, or competition in general, and how different that is from how women build and sustain theirs. It was an interesting insight into the walls most men put up when creating the bonds with people we consider friends, and it reveals to me how rare it is to have close, emotional conversations between men.
So, this is a long introduction to the following thought for tonight: I am very grateful for the friends I have. Admittedly, I’m terrible at friendship I don’t know how to sustain them. I am awful at keeping in touch. I’m reluctant to take time away from my family for something which feels so selfish as spending a few hours watching a soccer match or seeing a band or just sitting quietly together over a couple of glasses of favorite beverages and having an intimate conversation about what’s going on with our lives, both good and bad.
When I started drafting this post, I had one particular friend in mind. But now, as I think of the conversations I’ve cherished and felt grateful for over the last year, the number of people on the other end of them — even if they were just unexpected texts — became greater than I realized, making me rethink how many people I have in my court. I sincerely hope that they all know how much they mean to me. And I am publicly pledging to be better about letting them know just how much this year. And if you’re one of the few people who regularly read these, there’s a good chance I owe you a text, at the very least, to just say, “thanks.”
See you tomorrow?