The Friendship Now
Answer side by side“Write the state of us — one honest paragraph on who we are to each other, today.”
The question sits across the top; you each answer on your own page. Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — agree, argue, or correct the record.
Why this question
Present tense. No nostalgia allowed on this page; there's a whole book for that.
And once you’ve both answered
Date it. It will be worth comparing in ten years.
Answering it honestly
- Whoever writes second reads the first answer before writing — properly, not a skim. Your page can agree, argue, or correct the record.
- Be specific. Dates, places, what was playing, who else was there. Wrong details are welcome; they're evidence.
- Don't negotiate a joint version. Two accounts that refuse to match are worth more than one polished one.
And the house rule, whatever the mode: leave a blank rather than write a lie. A blank can be filled later; a lie sits in the archive forever, and you both have to live with the paperwork.
More from The Friendship Now
“What do I seem to be carrying at the moment, from where you stand?”
“If this friendship had a private charter — the two or three things we quietly promise each other by just being who we are — what would they actually be?”
“How has the friendship recalibrated as life sped up — and has the current setting got it right?”