There are movies that talk about friendships; my personal favorite is ‘Sex and the City’. The reason is that, in the show, the four women go through individual jobs, men, experiences, etc. and through it all, they still have each other. I feel that way about my family and friends. I am lucky to have five siblings, three of which I am in contact with often. And I have about six friends who I’ve known for up to 40+ years. There have been times when our lives have led us in different direction (kids, marriages, different cities, etc.), but when we need each other, we are there.
In the last several years my personal situation has been less than stable. During this time each one of my family members and friends has come through for me in some way or other. Although they know that I am not comfortable in the ‘needy’ role, they came through for me anyway. Neither my family members nor my friends are like me. We all have different opinions on a lot of issues. We live in different areas but we still have each other, and this has gotten me through, even in bad economic times.
Each of us goes through our experiences individually. For example, nobody else knows how I feel when I wake up to another day without a job and feel my cynicism growing. As the day progresses and I hear from a friend or family member, I feel more secure and remember that I still have those people that I love, in my life. There are many varieties of tough times but for me family and friends have always gotten me through the tough cycles in my life.
L-R My mom (God rest her soul), myself, my sisters Jacque & Chrissy in Costa Rica.