The friend who remembers your busiest season can offer company without turning it into another deadline.

There is a kind of friendship that adjusts to your calendar instead of competing with it. When someone knows you are in a heavy stretch, they can still reach out, but as an open door rather than an appointment you must now find energy for. Invitations that require a reply, a date and a commitment become one more item on a full list. Company offered lightly costs nothing to receive.

If a friend is stretched thin, send something that needs no answer or offers an easy yes. If you are the busy one, say which weeks are hard so nobody has to guess.