Everyone has their own path and the Tao is an awesome companion.

That said, some paths converge and run side by side with shared interests or perspectives, whether for a shorter or longer period of time. Sometimes, for a lifetime.

Sometimes, "friendship" is a togetherness for a short period followed by just knowing there's someone whose perspectives you can understand and who can understand yours is "out there".

I have a friend with whom I share an interest in philosophical dialogue but no human interests. He's a traveler, I'm not. He's a chef and I don't even consider myself out of groceries until I don't have any and the last of the peanut butter's gone. I have no idea where he is and haven't even spoken to him in over five years but either of us would be on a plane today, if circumstances warranted it and there are some discoveries, the resulting perspective(s) of which can only be reflected back to you by uncommon actors. Sometimes there's no one but sometimes there's only one so, "budness" with the Tao comes in very handy as it always "knows" where he is. Where everyone is.