There is something so peaceful and beautiful about being in the presence of a true friend. There is a lightness – a sense of freedom and joy that comes from being completely accepted, just as you are.
But why are friendships like this so rare?
One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. – Seneca
Often in life, we wear masks and hide our true nature, out of fear that we won’t be liked or accepted. This decision usually comes from a place of pain, the memory of our difficult experiences, those moments in life when someone judged or hurt us. Perhaps in those moments, we decided that we needed to be ‘different’ in order to be loved and appreciated.
Hiding who we truly are is a fear-based behaviour that moves us away from self-love and into self-doubt. This is nothing short of a tragedy! We are all unique, beautiful, powerful and important just as we are. There is never a reason to pretend to be anything other than beautiful YOU.
This is why seeking out true friendships is so important.
We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. – Seneca
When we find the people in the world who truly accept who we are on all levels, we learn that there is no longer any need to hide. The masks we may have created to keep us safe all of a sudden seem useless. Slowly and naturally these masks begin to fall away to reveal our true nature. We learn to undo the patterns of self-preservation we have created in order to feel safe and we allow our natural brilliance to shine through.
True friendships allow us to access our vulnerability. As scary as that can seem, it is the foundation for human connection.
One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood. – Seneca
The nature of vulnerability is that it breeds vulnerability. That is, the more you show it, the more you allow others to show it to you, and before long you have a deep, authentic connection which feeds your soul on every level. There are few things in life more beautiful than experiencing this kind of connection.
Friendship on such an honest level is not always rainbows and sunshine either, because life is not this way. True friends can sit with your through the storms of your life as well as through the highlights. A true friends will tell you what you NEED to hear, even if you don’t WANT to hear it. True friends are a gift that can help you to grow. Through true connection you can expand in more ways than you ever could alone.
Sometimes even to live is an act of courage. – Seneca
True friendships may not always be easy to find, but they are certainly worth the effort of searching. In your journey to find true friendships, you may come across a few people who look like the real thing and turn out not to be. You may even get hurt.
But in the end, if you have the courage to keep showing up and living bravely, you will be rewarded with the gift of true friendship many, many times over.
Seems like a pretty worthwhile endeavour don’t you think?