I don’t think the quality of the friendship depends on the amount of time you spend with the person. It’s about the connection and the shared experiences. Some of my favorite people I see at greater intervals than I’d like and some of my lesser favorite people I see on a regular basis (not necessarily by choice). But you’re right, effort is necessary to maintain a friendship regardless of physical distance and proximity cannot be the determining factor in defining a friendship and doesn’t always equal friendship.

But the effort kinda doesn’t make much of a difference if the intensity or level of the friendship is not reciprocated. You might meet someone you connect with on a higher level than an acquaintance, but if that feeling is not reciprocal then the overall connection is not there. Sometimes, you have to take what you get for what it is and enjoy it for what it is and not what you wished it was.