The Luxury of Dear Friendship

September in Sardegna

There is something so special about coming together with dear friends, especially those who have been part of your life for decades.

Yeliz and I met in Milan after our master's programs, when we were in our early twenties, and became inseparable. This September, we gathered in Sardegna to celebrate her birthday, thanks to the love and thoughtfulness of her amazing husband, Santi, and beautiful sister, Yonel. Two villas filled with old friends, familiar faces I have fond memories of or I'd heard about for years, and new connections that felt as though we'd known each other forever.

Life felt beautifully simple. The sea, long dinners, sunsets, dancing every night, lots of cin cin! and a harvest moon rising on the evening of the celebration. So much laughter, and the pleasure of being together.

But I know the greatest luxury was something less visible: the feeling that we could all simply be ourselves. That beneath the laughter and celebration, there was room for everything. To share our joy, to be vulnerable, to hold one another through any hard moments, and to feel loved just as we are.

It reminded me how much I loved, and miss living in Europe, and the ease of having dear friends close by. Somehow when it's part of everyday life, you don't fully realize what a luxury it is.

There is something quietly precious about friendships that span a lifetime, and about how naturally people come together when there is so much affection and history between them.

the girls under the harvest moonrise

A beautiful place, a gathering of kindred spirits from around the world, each with a life and a path of their own, yet so much shared between us. The laughter, the dancing, the love, and the freedom to be fully ourselves.

What a magical gift.

Yeliz and the Professionals — Main Villa at Sunset