Busy, busy day! I was in the office just after 8am and only got home at 10pm. I normally make sure that I take a break if I have a long day but that wasn’t possible today. So what kept me energised & enjoying myself? It boils down to friendship. There are friends I see on a regular basis, friends I see occasionally & friends I don’t see for years. When I talk about friendship nowadays I also include my lovely friends on my social media too. We may never of met but our conversations can be friendships too.

I feel fortunate to have had many friendships in my life. Some have been for a short period or whilst I needed a different point of view. Some have lasted for many years, even when we can only meet up occasionally, and feel timeless. At the Centre today there was a lovely mix. Helen & Jon called in. We have shared many moments of laughter, learning and love together including the sharing of DiscWorld novels, trips to Ireland and working with Energy Beings. Carie & Alastair have shared many a Thursday Drop In with me as the discussions ranged across all sorts of subjects & the cuppas were regularly renewed. Kerry and Nycola, new friends who bring warmth & kindness with them every time the call, shared my meditation. This evening Sophie, my NCT friend, filled the Centre with laughter as her ante natal group discussed the sometimes fearful topic of giving birth. So much positive energy I was floating.

So what is friendship? The are many ways to define this kind of loving relationship. For me that is the key. A friendship is the connection of love you feel with someone so that you make room for them in your life as an inspirer and collaborator. You want to listen to what they say, you value their viewpoint and you feel a positive flow of energy in their company. You are prepared to overlook what you may judge to be their flaws or failings. You feel you can be relaxed and yourself with them. You feel that they will never let you down & always have your back.

Of course I’m highlighting the up side of friendship. There are times when friendships can be challenging. There are times when they can be exasperating, disappointing, broken. This is the real value of a friend. By being in our life a friend offers us a sounding board, experiences that challenge our world view and opportunities to practice unconditional love. We collaborate at exploring the connections, boundaries and flow of loving energy between us. We drift together, apart and, sometimes, back together in a new way with new understanding. Friendship has, at it’s heart, giving and taking, sharing and growing.

When a friendship appears to end it is a loss of an opportunity to grow.  Though often new friendships are blossoming as others are fading. And sometimes a friendship re-establishes itself after a break because underneath there is love. We don’t define that love feeling very well. One word has to stretch to cover a wide range of states of feeling (although Greek philosophers tried their best with four distinct words for the types of love we feel). I love that I have so many people I can call ‘friend’. Their role in my life matters – whether it’s a brief ‘morning Annie’ in my Facebook messages or a comment on a post, a text about something new or to arrange a meet up, or to get me focused on an outstanding piece of work (thanks Jan).

So today is a day to be glad I have friends who share their positive energy with me. Who has been your friend today? How have they inspired you, challenged you or worked with you? Tell them how much you have enjoyed their part in your day because that will certainly bring them back tomorrow.

Day 73 of my blogging challenge.