Lessons I’ve learned in friendship

1. Be grateful — be grateful for people who are kind and caring because that is very rare in life. I have wasted a lot of energy on negative situations when I could have been using that energy to focus on the people who make me happy.

2. Let go of expectations — friendships should not come with contracts or rules you have to follow. Also everyone is unique and we all have different ideas about how to show someone you care.

3. Let go when you know you should — if someone continues to hurt you, there is no need for confrontation or revenge. Sometimes you really do need to sit down with someone and have an honest conversation, if necessary. But if it’s a continuous thing then don’t waste energy on them anymore. They are not going to change, if they really do then it’s something they need to do on their own. Dont take someone else’s inner issues into your own hands. Let them do their own inner work.

4. Time will tell — friends come and go. Some friendships can be so exciting, uplifting, and authentic– yet remain short-lived. Or sometimes you quit being friends with someone for years and you somehow fall back together and refresh your friendship. People flow in and out, it’s normal for people to fight or misunderstand each other. Friends may become enemies, or enemies may become friends. You don’t really know for sure what your timeline is with anybody until you look back one day.

5. Anyone can be your friend — friends don’t have to be exactly the same. You can be total opposites and come from different backgrounds and still get along. You can have different ideas and beliefs about life, but still find a common ground. It’s about being able to put those differences aside for the sake of feeling connected to one another and realizing we are all more similar than we seem.