35 Comments

beautiful read. your writing touched something in me that resonated with the experience of being on the outside looking in. thanks for sharing

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thank you. i plan to!!

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Great theory!

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thank you!!

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So good! I hope you do your workshop in NYC later this year too!

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thank you!

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this was such a good post. it reminded me of the maxim – you are the sum of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

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Lovely read, Ava. I feel the same here in Oakland and got lucky in that my most of my friends have moved to my neighborhood.

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Best post in a long time. Thank you.

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this makes me want to live in SF. in the meantime, i couldn't be more excited to come for the whole summer.

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I love this! I’m thinking about leaving SF for a fair chunk of time and how heartbreaking it is to have to occasionally choose career over friends. Do you have any thoughts on this? Please share!!

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"if you have people who believe you’re going to be okay you believe that you’re going to be okay" is so beautiful. thank you for this wonderful piece!

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My god, Ava. Unexpectedly crying. I’ve been reflecting deeper about relationships throughout the last months, and even through my writing. I’m in Mexico City but SF holds a very special meaning for me. So moved by your piece. Thank you for writing it.

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I love what you wrote about friendship here, but I also loved what you wrote about people in the Bay Area loving work because they love what they’re working ON. I have never really met people like that and I have a sense that it could be useful for me to surround myself with those people to encourage my writing too.

My impression of Bay Area colleagues is that they are workaholics to get ahead. But maybe I just haven’t met the right colleagues.

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Love love loved this!

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I really enjoyed this read, Ava! It captures the essence of how friendships shape our lives and decisions in such a heartfelt way. I love the "Friendship Theory of Everything" concept – it’s so true that who you surround yourself with defines your happiness and growth. A beautiful reminder to cherish and prioritize those meaningful connections in our lives.

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As someone who is experiencing college for the first time, watching my friends do the same thing and continuously growing everyday. I would be nothing with out my friends, such a great read.

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Loved this. Also wanted to add I lived briefly in SF around 2014 and while I didn’t take to the city itself so much as far as living there, the people I met, especially in the creative community literally changed the trajectory of my life and career so I completely resonated with that.

The city is so full of creative and passionate people who are there to support and cheer you on —true community—and as an east coast gal I find that so rare and special ❤️

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I had the same feeling when I started working at a startup: what I loved was the people. Did you find that the people you befriended were mostly engineers? That was my experience.

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