stepping out of your bubble

In my life over the years, I really have begun to see the remarkable importance of friendship. Until I was in nursing school, I of course realized that friends are your chosen family and your second halves, but never really took it deeper than the surface.

But for me, I have such a deep awareness of the impact my friends and their actions have on me. I have spent my years "floating" as I call it. I see myself not attached to one particular group and never have really with the exclusion of high school. During those four years, I was primarily associated with four other girls who stood as my confidants.

Over my teenage years and into my early twenties, I have unfortunately seen the damage friends have done to one another, and in my opinion take for granted the bounty presented before them. I have been witness to people my age truly be oblivious to the gifts of friendship. How can this happen? Where is there a disconnect from the truest point of at the end of the day, all we have is community?

Always ever eager to adhere to the golden rule (treat others as you would want to be treated), I find myself going above and beyond to help those around me. There are miraculous people in my life who I feel should be acknowledged for their contribution and beauty. I was talking to a friend about this a few months ago, and we both are very similar cuts of cloth. We both find ourselves feeling like we give and give to a relationship and rarely see return to the same extent. I found that I had been frustrated over this same dilemma, wishing and only hoping that my relationships would be equally satisfying on both ends. And then I came to a bountiful truth...

I cannot and should not act based on the premise that actions will be reciprocated. I was brought up in this world to cherish the glory around me, be thankful for things I was provided, and to share my gifts with my fellow human beings. I was not taught to act for the satisfaction of appearance, acclaim, or recognition. Therefore, if I act based on my heart and for nothing else than personal satisfaction, then the gifts will come back to me in their own way.

They don't have to be reciprocated really, just appreciated. If you find yourself consumed by your own personal bubble, step out of it, recognize the gift of the day, and acknowledge the beauty that someone in your life allows you to see. It speaks worlds in and of itself.