Quirkbag Collection #12 – 08.08.25

Happy Belated International Friendship Day! The actual date is 30 Jul. The celebration of International Friendship Day is less dramatic than one might expect since it celebrates almost every single individual. That’s around 7 billion people.

To all the people who are friends of other people, this day celebrates your importance. You matter. 

International Friendship Day was assigned a value by the United Nations on July 27, 2011, as a symbol of friendship. More importantly, it promotes peace, understanding and unity across peoples and nations. 

Yes, unity, a concept whose tangible benefits the world could greatly use. 

A fragmented modern world stems from pent-up tensions left unaddressed due to differing ideologies and a lack of mutual understanding. Humanity as a common denominator has been erased from our minds. Unity, understanding and peace even seem like afterthoughts. 

It is precisely why a common denominator – friendship within humanity – is ever so important. We tend to forget who we are, what we represent, and who we can be because of the drivel of modern society.

Take a moment. Absorb the reality of being human – fundamentally fragile and yet unusually tough – as we keep going through life. Some people call this mindfulness. Others call it gratitude. It could be both. 

This seemingly gimmicky, cult-like activity of taking a moment to practice gratitude or mindfulness shifts my frame of mind. My mind opens up to embrace the present moment and all of my friendships. It’s probably impossible for most of us to be where we are without the friendships we have made along the way. 

Having friends to see you through it all makes it more bearable. And just maybe, it makes the world a better place. 

Symbols of Friendship

Do you remember friendship bands? I never made one of these in my life. It always felt like such a “cringey” and “childish” activity as I was growing up.

The friendship band is merely a token of something greater than itself. Just like a crown’s value is far greater than the weight of the gold from which it is forged, the value of the friendship band is the bond itself. 

Do you need a friendship band to validate a friendship? Hardly. On second thought, maybe you do if you are 7 years old. For the rest of us, friendship ties people who meet and live through common experiences; in some odd cases, the difference in experience might be the gravity that pulls people together.

I think of the many pairs of pen pals around the world who may have never met in real life but trade life experiences through regular correspondence.

Friendships come and go, and some last a lifetime, but all of them are valid for their very existence proves a genuine bond between people.

The bond was real.

Not because of the friendship band, but because of the shared experiences. The friendship band is merely a token of that bond. 

For some, the shared memories become the proverbial friendship band, unforgotten so long as these memories continue to be relevant and relived in our minds. 

My “Friendship Band” 

Duolingo’s Spanish lessons consist of a section on food, one of the examples is orange juice, or “Jugo de Naranja”. As I learned and practiced the pronunciation, I kept repeating it to a dear friend. Quickly, it became the fad. 

It dominated our conversations for weeks. ‘Jugo de naranja’ was a pet phrase, constantly repeated. We found it hilarious to react and respond with the same random phrase like it was some greeting. It was simple. It was our ‘thing’.

Currently, I struggle to remember why something as random as “Jugo de Naranja” was a running joke. Still, we look back, almost with a third-person perspective, and smile with a sense of appreciation for that period in our friendship. Nostalgia comes close to describing it. 

It was never about Spanish lessons, orange juice, or Duolingo. It was about us – two people laughing over a small, inconspicuous phrase. That was our way of bonding.

This silly phrase was one of many tokens in this friendship, evidence of a bond well-forged, pieces of a phase in our lives. “Jugo de Naranja” is not what made the friendship. Quite the opposite, it is the friendship that oddly gave comedic value to a mundane phrase. 

What Is Friendship, Really?

Friendships are strange connections sometimes. I’ll be the first to admit that not all friendships are equal. They can be “long-distance” friends you meet once in a while in a different city, or they could be people you see at school or work every day. They could even be former rivals or competitors, someone you hated but developed a relationship with.

Sounds like something from the movies, doesn’t it?

But if you really thought about it, every friend was once a stranger you decided to reach out to. Sometimes, we find a stranger that we decide is worth keeping in our lives, despite (or maybe because of) their quirky habits or funky fashion sense.

Before you know it, they win your heart over and you start accumulating random silly moments. Yet, these fleeting moments, which may now be cringe-worthy, have value. Gradually, the little moments form a string of memories supporting the friendship. 

How do you define a friendship? 

If you figure that out, let me know. Let the world know because I’m quite sure countless people ponder the definition. The worldly metrics that measure what is quantifiable fail when it comes to emotions and matters of the heart.

How could you quantify a “best friend”? Gut feeling?

Sort of, maybe. 

The solution is vague and hard to describe, but yet oddly accurate and universal. Historical context aside, I present the words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart as a personal friendship metric:

“I know it when I see it”. 

– Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

Conclusion

I like to think every friendship has its own ‘jugo de naranja’ moments in time. These moments could have been so subtle that friends overlooked their presence. Rare but vital, these moments tweak and shape the course of the friendship over time. Today, they are better friends because of it. 

I want you to take a moment and think of your own friend. It could be your best friend, old friend or childhood friend. 

What was your ‘jugo de naranja’ moment? Celebrate the very bond between you by reminding each other of it and having a good laugh.

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