The Friends You Have Right This Moment

 “…better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.”

(Proverbs 27:10)

They deserve your attention. They deserve your love. They deserve your respect.

There are people who are jockeying to become part of your circle of mutual support.

They don’t want to be left out, nor do they want you to be left out. You want to ensure that nostalgia does not block your view of this stage in your emotional development and who you have become. When you were a toddler or kindergartner, you required a particular kind of attention. In return, you offered adorableness. 

Adorableness is priceless, and it’s hard to see how life would be worth the trouble without it. But we move forward. We grow, and we learn to serve others. We began to practice it as toddlers as we tried to help our parents with outsized tasks. Or we practiced by mimicking them.

You haven’t lost your adorableness, but you’ve matured. As you find warmth and safety with new humans, some of yesterday’s tried and true relations will travel with you and you with them (You still see each other’s “cuteness,” yet it’s adorned with a glowing beauty that most cannot fathom). These allies are willing to fight with you. To fight for you.

If you spill your energy on the ground of yearning, you won’t have what it takes to stand firmly with the people who are present. 

 

 

Still I Rise

Still I Rise