The latest musings from Radio Wave presenter Hayley Kay

A few years ago, over Christmas, I’d bump in to or see friends and family I’d not seen in ages, and kept finding myself saying ‘We’ll catch up in the New Year’. Only this time I meant it, so I made the resolution I’d make time to spend with my friends. I started by making a list, which turned out to be a long one, but it made me more determined to get through them all. It took until almost summer to complete my resolution, but every moment I spent with my friends and extended family was worth it. I travelled around a fair bit, some catch-ups turned into overnight stays and the chance to plot more adventures. Whether it was a quick brew in their kitchen, joining them on the school run or getting dressed up and going for cocktails, I’m so glad I did it.

My friends are all such different people, but the older I get, the more I realise how important they are. Unlike some, my friends don’t all know each other, just know of each other and I consider myself lucky to have a ‘team’ to call my own. It might sound clichéd, but over the years we’ve helped each other through so many of life’s highs, like meeting ‘The One’, landing the dream job, buying your own place, successful IVF, getting married, having a family and horrible lows like divorce, losing a parent, depression and messy break-ups. No matter what the situation, we’re always there for each other, whether it’s them telling me to ‘pull myself together’ or me letting them have a good snotty cry on my shoulder. I wouldn’t change them for the world.

A person much wiser than me once said ‘The only way to have a friend is to be one’ and it’s a motto I’ve adopted. Sometimes you don’t even need words; I often send stupid pictures, or daft emojis by text, and it’s enough to let them know they’re in my thoughts. Life gets so busy and it’s easy to let friendships slip, but they’re a two-way street and I urge anyone who hasn’t made a resolution or who made one and already broken it, to do this.

You won’t regret it and if your pals are anything like mine they’ll leave you feeling upbeat, happy and usually with a hint of bellyache after laughing so hard.