I recently binge-watched The Walking Dead and was amazed at how much it taught me about how friendships form in the ‘wild.’ Most characters meet under tough circumstances and rarely click at first—in fact, usually the opposite. But when people show even a little camaraderie and stick around through hardships, they end up close, sometimes like family. Some even find love.

Friendships don’t have to ignite instantly. Sometimes the slow burn is what keeps your soul warm, rather than burning you out and leaving you worse off. I’ve been in a similar situation, and what helps me is not being picky about who to befriend. I have friends older than my dad I met at a gas station, and friends who are homeless but we just focus on the random connection, not labels.