After spending this past Valentine's Day watching "How to Be Single" with a good friend and devouring enough chocolate truffles to feed a small homeless shelter, I came away with the notion that friendships can certainly get you through anything. I want to extend my gratitude to the multitude of friends who have been there for me in a time of need or guidance.

But when I think of all the closest friends that I have in my life, some of the names that come to mind I've only known for a small amount of time (try two months). When I think of friendship, I don't reduce it to the years I've spent with them, but of the individual times I've shared. I think about how one of my closest friends from home and I used to go on "runs" but would actually just walk at a leisurely pace to Starbucks, jog for a quick minute or two, and walk the rest of the way home. Or maybe the fact that I've spent the night at a new friend's house at least four times over the last three weeks, and we spend most of our time watching "Supernatural" and listening to angsty early 2000s rock. Either way, it's clear to me that I am investing lots of quality time into my friendships, and I'm not focusing on the quantity of time that I spend with them.

Which is one of the notions that I've struggled to remove from my brain ever since I learned what a friend was. All of the movies and tv shows and Nicholas Sparks novels have tried to convince me that there's always the "friend you've had your whole life" and they will be with you for the rest of your existence. Only, I don't have friends like that. One of the friends that I remember from my childhood spontaneously took a road trip with her family in an RV and I only rekindled our relationship a couple years ago via Facebook. In truth, I don't really remember any specific times that I spent with her growing up, and somehow I used to feel like I wasn't living the right life.

Alternatively, I have also been a woman of many circles all throughout my life, moving from friend group to friend group and having close connections in various places. I had a close group of girl friends in high school that I hung out with more than anyone else, mostly because I could count on hanging out with them whenever I felt lonely. But as I transitioned into a high school senior, and later a college student who doesn't really give a sh*t about too much, I realized that the amount of my time spent with the friends I had didn't dictate the quality of our friendships. Don't get me wrong - I still consider them close friends - but I also don't deny that some friends I've known for a shorter period of time can be considered closer in my circle.

I like to think the closest friends don't require daily conversations. One of the best friends I will ever have - who is absolutely stunning in every facet of her being - lives 800 miles away from me, and every time I come home to see her, we get to talking and it feels like we never stopped. These are the types of friendships that I crave. She has her own life, and I have mine, but we both seem to find solace in each other's company, and that means more to me than the fact that we've been friends since sixth grade.

My point to you is this: don't denounce the meaning of friendships with people that you meet in your life, because timing isn't everything. I met two of my now closest friends in the last three months alone, and I'm more okay with that than trying to justify a friendship with someone that I've known for longer but rarely speak with. Friends are friends and you should appreciate all the different types that you have, regardless of time.