Patterns
June 2, 2017
Being Part of the Backup Team
June 27, 2017
Sometimes people feel they have grown apart and have developed new or different interests and that there is not enough to keep them connected. In some cases that is true. It can be helpful to step aside and think about a particular friend and what they have meant to us in the past, how we have learned from them, shared together, and what we might miss if they were not a part of our life.
- The tendency to desire what is best for the other
- Sympathy and empathy
- Honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth, especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one’s counterpart
- Mutual understanding and compassion; ability to go to each other for emotional support
- Enjoyment of each other’s company
- Trust in one another
- Positive reciprocity – a relationship is based on equal give and take between the two parties.
- The ability to be oneself, express one’s feelings and make mistakes without fear of judgment.
What can We do to maintain and nurture our deep friendships even when we really don’t have the time to “be there” in ways we would like to be?
Sometimes, where appropriate, meet as a group of friends.
Be Content (for the moment) with brief and more frequent encounters.
Friendships are best when they are both flexible and forgiving.
