“Only connect” – British novelist E.M. Forster

How often do you put yourself out there to connect to others? This is something that I’ve been working on for the last several years. My tendency is to keep the friends I have and not reach out to others to make new friends or to meet new people. I tend to procrastinate on things. I set intentions to reach out and then spend time mulling things over, wondering how people might react.

As I’ve moved out of my comfort zone, such as going back to school or seeking sources of personal support, I’ve made a lot of new friends who have quickly become lifelines of a sort. They emerged by my reaching out and in my own way, asking for help. It was a scary move but one that has paid off richly. I’ve forged relationships with people with whom I can call at almost any time. We bounce ideas off each other. We support each other in times of crisis. We work through things. We hash things out. My friends are sources of wisdom and insight. They are my chosen family. There’s something beautiful about having friends who accept you as you are, just as you accept them as they are. I don’t feel as if I need to give anything to these people so that they’ll like and accept me. The same goes for them. It’s not a transactional kind of relationship. It’s kind of like unconditional love. It is unconditional love. It’s that flush of pleasure when you see them. It’s knowing you can be honest with them with no judgement. It’s knowing they’ll be honest with you even if you don’t want to hear what they have to say. There’s just acceptance. There’s a link that’s formed when we all reach out for help and we find each other in the dark. Light emerges. We are who we are and we love each other for it. It was all there for the asking. Thank you to my friends for your love and support!