Some of my best thinking is done while I lay in bed at night. I could count down from 30 and my husband is already sleeping, but for the rest of the general population who doesn't fall asleep in under a minute, we think. I think of potential blog content all the time and then kick myself the next day because I can't remember the idea! However, today is not one of those days. In fact, I have had this idea for a few days and it is on the topic of FRIENDS! "So no one told you life was gonna be this way....." Ha! Made you sing, didn't I?!?!? I recently wrote on my Instagram about a new friend that I made. She has been nothing short of amazing to me and our family as we adjusted to life here in Naples and "just like a seashell, I placed her in my beautiful collection of friends that have helped me through many stages of my life". I can name a few really good friends who have made such an impact in my life. They weren't perfect but never claimed to be. They loved me for my crazy loud personality and most of all they made me feel like I was making a difference in their life. Friendship is very much about reciprocity, which simply means a relationship in which two people or groups agree to do something similar for each other. If you don't believe me, think of someone in your life, past or present who just didn't seem as invested in your friendship as you were. Maybe they didn't respond to phone calls or texts. Maybe they didn't try to care about your life as much as you would like them to. Or maybe they "accidently" left you out of events...no matter what the situation, it is a horrible feeling. As terrible as this may sound, I know I have been "that friend" before. I'm embarrassed to even admit that, but I know I could have been a better friend to many people and therefore, because I was not being a good friend, they eventually stopped trying to be one to me. For the friends that we didn't screw things up with or the ones that stuck around no matter what, you know they are your "ride or die" friends. Ok, maybe not the best analogy but I have always wanted to use that phrase. When you know you have one of those friends, don't let them go! In the same way when on a beautiful beach and you find the biggest, most unique seashell you have ever laid eyes on, you don't pick it up and toss it back out to sea, you hold on to it! You take special care of it and find the perfect spot for it in your house. Friends are the same way, instead of placing them in jars or vases...(boy, that would be weird) you place the friendship in your heart, where it's safe.
Now that we live in Florida, seashells are a huge part of our life. My kids will find 50 of the same looking shells and beg to take them all home. So, when they aren't looking I quietly toss them back in the ocean ... I have to draw the line somewhere! This is where shells and friends are different. When I came down here, I truly thought I wouldn't need any friends. I had amazing ones back home, (shout out to you ladies back in the 815) I really thought my heart was full enough and there was no way I could open it up to any new friendships. Much to my surprise, I was wrong. God knows what we need and when we need it. He puts people in our path that we didn't even know we needed. When I look back on all the friendships I have made over the years, they all have that one thing in common RECIPROCITY. Not all friendships will be equally balanced all the time, but you know when they are down, you are there to life them up because they would do the same for you in a heartbeat! How can you be a better friend this week? Have you found yourself in an unbalanced friendship? Is it time to start collecting more shells?
