Through-out our short time on this planet we have very special people that come into our lives. Some disappear in a heart beat while others are there for a lifetime. Whichever the case, most have an impact on our lives and even the direction we choose. These very special people we call friends.
Life is about beginnings and endings. Relationships can come and go but the kind of friends that you don’t see for months, years, or even decades, but feel like they’ve never left… are as rare as a unicorn. We may connect with them much later but it feels like they never left.
When we are first interacting with others, there is a learning curve. We learn to communicate, share, laugh, and feel the importance of that experience. Sleep overs, make-believe playing, building forts, acting as adults, and the funny situations we will never forget becomes a part of whom we are.
Pretending is an integral part of playtime either by ourselves or with others. This is a very important piece of the puzzle we are forming. This puzzle is the chemistry we feel when the reality of time taps us on the shoulder to acknowledge how special that moment really was.
The friends I have from long ago I count as treasures. They know the past memories we share which still bring laughter and the classic phrase,” How did we live through that?” Perhaps there are fortuitous connections that involve God, the universe, or some other factor we have yet to discover.
When I think about all the places I could have been born, all the parents I could have had, and all the friends I have met, and those I am still to meet, I feel truly blessed. There has to be some divine intervention, some type of timing beyond our ability to understand. Factor in all of the coincidences and multiply that times ten, and we have a life full of the surprises that make our journey such a roller coaster.
The best things in life are free. The joy we feel when the connection occurs opens up a dialogue that transfomrs mundane conversation to that of “expanding our horizons”. Then the most important factor in all of these interactions is that of trust. To be able to trust someone outside our immediate family is a gift. Looking back in time I remember several instances when the toe is in the perverbial water of trust and the secrets shared become a bond that is forever strenghtened with time.
Put to the test through-out our lives are those fellowships that bring a smile to our face. To think of that moment in time when the boundrary or dividing line becomes larger is an enrichement which adds to our perspective. This perspective adds color to substance and laughter from a smile within.
My dear friends know whom they are. It is very important to let them know the importance they have in our lives. Weddings when we’re young and funerals when we’re old are events we attend because of the love and carrying we have (by extension) for all those important enough to them and to us.
Family’s feel the friendship between their circle of blood and the consentric arc that shares the same center enriched by time. As valuable as the most precious diamond and kept close to our heart, with the love of many moments, this is a gift that is center to our universe. We call this very special feeling, friendship.
Friendship is simply the state of enduring affection, esteem, intimacy, and trust between two people. This state of being shines a light on our own perspective. If we are self centered, petty or simply a complete narcissist then our future could be one defined by being alone.
However, if we are magnanimous and giving, and our thought process starts with “random acts of kindness”, then our life will be filled with the type of richness that only comes when we put others above ourself.