On this day of I’m reminded that love can be portrayed in diverse ways; admiration, courtship, commitment, sharing or even the hope of love.
Likewise, I’m prompted to recall that friendships can be packaged and parceled in the most obscure and opaque ways.Knowingly or unknowingly, as a younger version of myself I had criteria and a checklist of qualities and merits a person must possess in order to pursue a friendship as well as an agenda of dos and don’ts the individual revealed. As an example, a person couldn’t be a smoker, or they mustn’t swear, they had to enjoy children. Blah, blah, blah…narrow-minded indeed!
While many reasons can be attributed (immaturity, stupidity, futility…), the most fundamental and straightforward one is we fear what we don’t understand. I don’t beat myself up because I believe in the saying, ‘when we know better, we do better!’
At this stage in life, I adore and admire each and every individual from mere acquaintances, ones I’ve never met but shared words via blogs to close friends to significant loved ones. Regardless of the distinct role each of you embodies or signifies for me, I am thankful and filled with much love and gratitude.
"Much of the vitality in a friendship lies in the honoring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of similarities."
Happy Valentine’s Day~
