Friendship IS Good Medicine

I'm feeling a little down at the moment, so I decided to write to some dear friends of mine. It was just a quick email saying I was thinking of them & that I wouldn't be able to join them on a phone call.. Sending that email, I thought of their faces, their wisdom, and all the experiences we have had together, and just doing that made me smile to myself.

Nothing beats an understanding friend.

I am fortunate to have a lot of them.  They are scattered all over the country. And although I don't get to see them very often, when I do, it's like we saw each other just last week.  What feels so good is not just their understanding, but how they see me.  I can be my real, messy self with them and they still see all the good in me.  And that's important because I can't always do that.  I get stuck in all my shortcomings and can't see the forest through the trees.  Isn't that how the saying goes?

On the flip side, I get the opportunity to do the same for them.  And that feels good - opening my heart to be of use to someone else.  That is good medicine.  Can you tell I'm a Pisces?

One of the keys for me is recognizing who these people are in my life.  Of course, I don't have these kinds of relationships with everyone.  We all know people who would love to tell us how to live our life better and those that might just be a little bit happy if we fell on our faces.  Accepting them as they are and not expecting them to be any different can save a lot of heartache.  It's when I believe them that I run into trouble.

That is one of the cool things about getting older.  I have friends that I've known for over 20 years!  Even writing that blows my mind.  It makes me realize my age, but more than that it makes me happy.  I love following their journeys through the good times, the dark times, the funny times and the crazy times.  I have a lot of gratitude for this part of my life.

And this is emotional weight loss right?  When I'm feeling tackled by life, not living up to my full potential or overrun with other people's ideas about who I am - you know, the ones that aren't supposed to mean anything to me.  All I have to do is reach out to any one of them.  Sometimes I don't even have to mention what's going on.  I just need to connect. Maybe even laugh a little.  Somehow that sets me straight in a way nothing else can.

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