First of all I’d like to thank @El_Capitan_Nemo and @SammyG for putting their best foot forward, sacrificing their time and energy, inorder two enrich everybody’s lives and help them heal. That takes monumental amounts of courage. You guys have my loyalty.
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart,” Eleanor Roosevelt.
Some people used to described true friendship as a connection between two fiercely loyal people who would give their lives for each other’s well-being. A true friend used to be thought of as a person who would stick with us through thick and thin; someone we could confide in about anything and everything, and trust completely.
How many of us have someone like this in our lives? Or maybe we are that person; that we would give our life up in order to save a nother. Would you risk your life for someone you love?
Take a moment to think about your answer.
These days the meaning of friendship has been diminished as we assign our drinking buddies, neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances with the friendship status. We even reward the strangers and distant associates on our social networking account “friend lists” with the devalued title, as though the word “friend” is something that can just be tossed around and pinned onto anyone with a face.
While it is great that we are open enough to assign anyone in our lives as “friends,” our ignorance of what a true friend is and what being a true friend means contributes to a great sense of isolation, loneliness, and pain in our lives.
Friendships are one of the most purest forms of love among humans because it (rarely) receives any form of sexual gratification; just the joy of connecting deeply with another. Perhaps this is why we love our pets so much? They often provide the only form of true soul friendship we can find immediately in our lives. The love of a pet is an unconditional love. Can you say the same for yourself or for others?
Asking myself this question often makes me stop as I come to face all of the conditions that I tend to impose on others that hinders a true soul friendship. And honestly while this shocks and deeply grieves me, I see it as an opportunity to grow. Fortunately, I have found a couple of true soul friends in my own lifetime which have taught me a lot about the meaning of unconditional love. This is what I have learned:
There is no need to hide anything or walk on eggshells. when talking with a soul friend there is a sense of openness. They want to help you grow and build you up rather than tear you down. They are forthcoming when they criticize and doesn’t resort to passive-aggression. They trust in the friendship.
Soul friends open themselves up to truly listening, with the intent to understand your thoughts, feelings, dreams, or dilemmas. You can completely trust them. As they honor your privacy and deeply respect the confidence you have placed in them. Rather than being pushy, needy, or demanding, soul friends respect your boundaries.
They value forgiveness and don’t hold on to resentments. They can let go of all the little quarrels that happen from time to time. If they are angry or hurt, they prefer to talk about it directly and openly rather than hiding it away.
One of the most precious gifts that a soul friend gives in a friendship is unfailing kindness and goodwill. They will see the best in you and help bring it out. While you might feel talentless or ugly, your friend will remind you of your many skills and beauty. They like to compliment you.
Your soul friend is with you through thick and thin. Through your darkest nights and brightest days. They are right by your side loyal, compassionate companions they are by your side when you are at your absolute worst.
Who is a soul friend to you? How can you be a better soul friend? And how can you go about inviting such meaningful connections into you life?
This is the song that inspired all of this…
