Gratitude is what I am feeling right this moment as I sit down to write. I am grateful for people. I am feeling the love of people who have come and gone, and for the forever friends who are never leaving. Good souls have been my friends at many variety of points in my life. People come and go – and that is okay. Friendships do not all have to be forever. But the right people have touched my heart at the right time, and they have left an imprint.
I am overwhelmed with positive vibes about how my life has worked out in the long run. There have been ups and downs along the journey, and at times I am frustrated and sad. Yet I cannot lie, I have been blessed with more good than bad. Life can be hard, and I am not always prepared for what occurs. And still, I know I am fortunate. I make mistakes, and I also choose well. There is nobody who is always right (yet we all know people think they are… ha ha).
When you are full of appreciation (as I am right now), I think it is best to let it out into the world. Tell the people who matter. Write a post. Film a video. Share your understanding. Let the joy ooze out. At this minute I am screaming from my platform (this blog) that people have been the key to all the good in my life.
If you bottle up the grateful feelings they will wither.
There have been so many friends, colleagues, and clients who have impacted my life. Some are “Forever Friends” (those special people who are by your side in good times and bad, who never waiver in their loving and loyal support). Others have come and gone. But it is people who make the difference in how we succeed or fail.
Along the way I have made mistakes, but I work hard to own those missteps and learn from my faults. I am slow to anger, and fast to forgive others. I love the word “journey”, as that is how I view my life. If I am more than halfway to the end (figuring I live to be 99-years-old like my father), then I also know that the best times are ahead. It is weird to think that the experiences so far are just the foundation of what is to come. It is also exciting. I work daily to make age 50 to 75 the best years of my life.
The thrilling part is about the people. Especially those I have not yet met. I know some new folks will enter my life and together we will have a mutually-beneficial impact on each other’s paths. That is the part that makes life worth living. The positive connections with people who I have yet to encounter.
Before I moved to Austin, 28 years ago, I could never have imagined the amazing people I would encounter, but they appeared. Together we shared some laughs and tears. I am fortunate to have called so many people “Friend”. There are so many people I adore. And tomorrow holds new friendships and associations that will also produce win/win situations that are unpredictable today.
Forever Friends Never Leave
There are some who left my circle with bad feelings. I own some of the responsibility to this. But so do they. relationships are hard, and very few people have simply walked about from the bonds of friendship with a thud. When that has happened it has hurt me deeply. But my father, who was wise, always told me that a person cannot control the actions of others, nor do we ever really know the demons they fight inside their own world. He encouraged me to simply send love and good vibes their direction. Then move on. That is what I have done and in wishing them well in their own journey, it brings me peace in my own.
And I try to not waste my attention on people who cast shadows. So many of the “forever friends” in my life are filled with powerful light in their soul, that it is unfair to them to let anyone take away from their energy. I love the people who have chosen to keep me around in spite of my flaws (oh yes, I know where I come up short, as I daily took at the ups and downs and take ownership for all my stumbles). Pointing fingers at others and making sure they appear to the world hold the blame is not my jam.
There are wishes in me that I could go back in time and repair the tears of friendships. But friendships are a choice, and if someone chose to leave me, then I cannot change their heart. I can just send them good vibes.
Friendships Shape Your Life (for better or worse)
Brad Strulberg said the following in a post on Medium (January 2018):
The people with whom you surround yourself have an enormous impact on your life. In many ways, they shape it.
It is true. Friends make us who we are. They shape our lives. We are better off when we are around people who push us to improve. To be our best. And the opposite is true as well. Jerks bring out the jerk inside us all. I have decided to pick wisely as I add people. As the new people who become my friends will leave an imprint on my soul going forward.
There have been times when I thought someone was on my side only to learn I was easily tossed away. It hurts to know that love of any kind is not reciprocated. However, it is these painful experiences that allows us to appreciate the “forever friends”. Choose to be shaped by the people who matter.
Appreciation
Appreciation to all is the song of this post. Cheers to those who have been along side me on this journey in the past, present and future. My heart is full of gratitude. My sails are full because of the people I know. And I move ahead with a stronger vibration because of the “Forever Friends”.
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Thom Singer is a motivational speaker and podcast host.