Friendship, like credit, is highest when it is not used.

Untested things look strong. As long as nobody has asked for anything difficult, a friendship can hold whatever value you assign it, and so can your sense of being someone who would come through. The moment a real request arrives, the estimate meets the fact. That is not a reason to avoid asking; it is a reason to notice which friendships you have only ever admired from a distance.

Pick one and spend a little of it this week: ask for the small favour you have been managing without. And when someone spends theirs on you, treat the request as a compliment rather than a cost.