The article reflects on the author's experience moving back to London during the pandemic and the challenges of socializing. Finding it difficult to connect with new people, the author discovers an app facilitating friendship through organized walks. Engaging with others in this relaxed outdoor environment helps ease social pressure, allowing for more genuine interactions. The walks allow individuals to bond over shared experiences and the surrounding nature, highlighting our intrinsic need for connection, particularly amplified by the isolation of lockdowns.
"I quickly downloaded it. On my first walk a six-mile stroll along the banks of the River Lea in east London I met Haris from Greece."
"I was surprised at how trusting Irenka was of strangers and how quick she was to rearrange her life around them."
"I realised it was to do with the balance between an interpersonal exchange and the outside world."
"On walks you also pay attention to the environment around you, and it seems to me that it's this shift of focus that makes it easier to make friends."
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