I remember one day many years ago, (not sooooo many years mind you!) a friend from high school began to act more interested in my life and what was going on with me. When I asked her what was up, she said that she realized that in order to have a friend, she had to be a friend. It was a turning point in our friendship.
Since that time, I’ve realized that I’ve forgotten this all important lesson. Unfortunately with the onset of marriage, kids, work, traveling, writing, etc., I’ve spent less and less attention on my friends thinking that they will always be there. Although this may be true, that’s not me being a friend.
This happens in romantic relationships all the time. We take each other for granted because we assume our partner will always be there. We get tired, busy, and complacent, taking care of all the mundane “necessities” in life; meanwhile the days…keep… passing…by. Before we know it, we feel distant, drained, and unsatisfied; we wonder what happened and hope to God we can get it back.
If we catch it in time, we can heal it. If the days have turned into weeks which have turned into years…it will be more difficult to heal and for some, it will be too late. Just as a new car needs regular maintenance work to run smoothly and last forever, so do our relationships. Paying attention to and nurturing our relationships will help them grow and keep them strong. In return, we will be rewarded tenfold.
Regardless of whether the relationship is with your partner, child, parent, or friend, you need to feed it. You need to nourish, guard, and protect it if you want it to not only survive, but thrive. Our relationships, I believe, are our most precious commodities and as such they deserve the greatest attention and the best care.
Stop paying so much attention to the mundane necessities in life and look at who’s in front of you; s/he may not be there tomorrow.
To all my closest friends…thank you for being in my life. I will do my best to not allow the days to just pass by. YOU ALL ROCK!!!
CHALLENGE: Commit to doing one thing a week to nourish a key relationship in your life. Don’t take any close relationships for granted; call a friend, write a kind card to your partner, hug your child, thank your mentor. It only takes a small, occasional tender sprinkle to keep the connection going.
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