Why Friendship Deserves a Seat at the Table
Once upon a time, romance got all the sparkle in February. Candles, cards, reservations were made weeks in advance. Meanwhile, friendship, the relationship that carries us through breakups, burnout, parenting, grief, reinvention, and becoming who we are meant to be, was treated like the understudy.
Galentine’s Day flips the script.
What began as a playful celebration of female friendship has quietly become something much bigger: a cultural return to relational health. A reminder that love isn’t only romantic, that intimacy isn’t only sexual, and that some of the most life-sustaining bonds we have are platonic, chosen, and deeply real.
In a world where AI writes our emails, algorithms decide what we see, and social media turns connection into performance, Galentine’s Day is a radical act of showing up in person, imperfect, and fully human.
The New Counterculture: In-Person Connection
We are more “connected” than ever and yet we are lonelier than we’ve ever been.
Texts replace phone calls. DMs replace front doors. Group chats replace dinner tables. And while technology has its place (we’re grateful for it), it can’t replicate what happens when people gather in the same room, share food, make eye contact, and laugh out loud without filters or emojis.
In-person connection is becoming a lost art and that makes it powerful.
When friends gather intentionally, something ancient and necessary happens. Nervous systems regulate. Laughter releases stress hormones. We are more present, in the moment, and mindful. Stories are witnessed, not skimmed. Silence feels safe. We remember who we are in the presence of people who know us- not our profiles, but our true selves.
Galentine’s Day gives us permission to prioritize that again.
Platonic Romance Is Real and It’s Underrated
Platonic relationships hold space for tenderness without expectation, intimacy without transaction, and love without the pressure to be everything to one person. These relationships often last longer than romantic ones and research shows they are just as vital to our well-being.
Strong friendships are linked to:
- Lower rates of depression and anxiety
- Better cardiovascular health
- Longer life expectancy
- Greater resilience during stress and change
In other words: friendship isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s a health practice. It’s therapy and the best medicine around.
The Loneliness Epidemic We Don’t Talk About Enough
Alongside the rise of AI, remote work, and digital convenience, something quieter, and more concerning, has been happening: our social routines are disappearing.
- Fewer standing coffee dates.
- Fewer weekly dinners.
- Fewer built-in reasons to gather.
Loneliness has reached epidemic levels, not because people don’t want connection, but because many no longer have structures that make connection automatic. Friendship now requires intention, planning, and courage.
Certain groups are especially at risk:
- Singles
- Childless adults
- Retired and elderly individuals
- Men, who are often socialized to under-invest in emotional intimacy
But loneliness doesn’t check demographics at the door. You can be partnered, busy, surrounded by people, and still feel profoundly alone.
That’s why relational health can’t be passive anymore. It has to be practiced.
Connection Is a Practice- Not a Personality Trait
Whether or not you see yourself in one of the higher-risk groups, staying connected requires strategy. It means creating rhythms instead of waiting for spontaneity. It means being the one who sends the text, sets the date, hosts the dinner party, or says, “Come sit with us.”
And just as importantly, it means extending invitations outward.
There are people all around us, neighbors, coworkers, friends-of-friends, who are quietly untethered from community. People who don’t get invited because they’re assumed to be busy, fine, or uninterested. People who would come if someone simply asked.
Galentine’s Day offers a beautiful reframe: connection isn’t just something we seek, it’s something we celebrate.
When we open our tables, our walks, our rituals, we aren’t just strengthening our own friendships, we’re actively stitching people back into the fabric of belonging.
Gather at the Table (This Is Where the Magic Happens)
If Galentine’s Day had a mission statement, it would be this: Come back to the table.
- The table is where phones go face down.
- The table is where stories stretch past small talk.
- The table is where differences soften and belonging grows.
- The table is where we can look into each other’s eyes, face to face, and truly connect.
You don’t need a perfect house, a themed menu, or matching outfits. You just need intention.
Galentine’s gatherings can look like:
- A candlelit dinner where everyone brings one question instead of one dish
- A wine-and-cheese night with a “friendship toast” tradition- serious or silly.
- A Sunday brunch that ends with handwritten notes to one another
- A book swap, a Mahjong table, a craft night, a soup exchange
- A walk that ends with coffee and honesty
- A celebratory cake where friends share their successes for the year
The point isn’t the activity- it’s the presence.
Why This Matters Now
We are living through a friendship recession. Adults are reporting fewer close friends, fewer social rituals, and less time spent in meaningful connection. At the same time, we’re being sold the idea that independence is the ultimate goal.
But humans aren’t built for isolation. We’re built for belonging.
Galentine’s Day is a reminder that friendship doesn’t have to be squeezed in between responsibilities. It can be the thing we organize around. It can be celebrated out loud. It can be romanticized, honored, and protected. And who doesn’t want more fun in their life?!
Choosing and prioritizing friendship, especially in person, is an act of resistance against burnout, loneliness, and the myth that we’re meant to do life alone.
A Toast to the Friends Who Hold Us
So here’s to the friends who sit with us at the table.
Who know our past selves and cheer for our future ones.
Who show up not because they have to, but because they choose to.
This Galentine’s Day, don’t just post about friendship.
- Practice it.
- Gather it.
- Feed it.
- Celebrate it.
PS. The Gift That Keeps the Conversation Going
Stay Golden, Girls: Friendship Is the New Marriage has become a natural Galentine’s Day gift. The book is a love letter to platonic connection. A reminder that friendship deserves intention, language, and ritual. It gives words to relationships we feel deeply but don’t always know how to name, and invites friends into conversations they may not have had space for before.