I have many relationships in my life. Friendships, familial relationships, coworker relationships. But I have only ever been in two romantic relationships. Those two were 14 years apart.
I love all my different types of relationships. My family are some of the most fun people to hang around with and there is always plenty of laughter when we do. Hanging out with them reminds me from where I come and that I have a solid foundation to fall back on if ever I need to. I am grateful for them and so happy to have all of them in my life. My friendships are amazing. (See F is for Female Friendship) They keep me grounded and help me see my life more realistically than I tend to do and have saved me from going off the deep end many a time. I am so lucky to know these women. My coworker relationships are a bit more complex. I truly like some of my coworkers (some are even in my Female Friends category) and there are some I could do without. I do have respect for most of them, however. They are some of the smartest people I've ever met and they are doing pretty innovative things. My romantic life I will not talk about at the moment, but I will have more to say about it in a later post. Let's just say things are looking up!
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendship. Show all posts
Friday, April 20, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
L is for Love
I posted a few weeks ago about things I love. The list still holds true and there is much more I could have added.
Today I'm thinking more along the lines of romantic love. The love you read about in books or see in movies. Does it exist? Or is most of that lust combined with some fondness? I've always thought that I wanted to be with someone who was a friend first. Someone who I had gotten to know over time and who I loved and appreciated in their entirety. I know there are different schools of thought regarding this. I have a very good friend who says she has enough female friends and doesn't need her lover to be her friend as well.
From all I've read about relationships, it seems that the passion people have at the beginning of a relationship doesn't last. There are certain hormones that are rampant during the "falling in love" stage of a relationship that just don't stick around. About 18 months into a new relationship people think they've fallen out of love, but what they've really fallen out of is that hormonal rush of feeling. Are those falling in love feelings awesome? Absolutely, but they're also not sustainable. So I guess for me it makes sense to be with someone you really like because the rest of the stuff is so ephemeral.
What have been your personal experiences with new relationships and how they've evolved?
Today I'm thinking more along the lines of romantic love. The love you read about in books or see in movies. Does it exist? Or is most of that lust combined with some fondness? I've always thought that I wanted to be with someone who was a friend first. Someone who I had gotten to know over time and who I loved and appreciated in their entirety. I know there are different schools of thought regarding this. I have a very good friend who says she has enough female friends and doesn't need her lover to be her friend as well.
From all I've read about relationships, it seems that the passion people have at the beginning of a relationship doesn't last. There are certain hormones that are rampant during the "falling in love" stage of a relationship that just don't stick around. About 18 months into a new relationship people think they've fallen out of love, but what they've really fallen out of is that hormonal rush of feeling. Are those falling in love feelings awesome? Absolutely, but they're also not sustainable. So I guess for me it makes sense to be with someone you really like because the rest of the stuff is so ephemeral.
What have been your personal experiences with new relationships and how they've evolved?
Thursday, April 5, 2012
F is for Female Friendship
I have been blessed to have met many wonderful people throughout my life. I am even more blessed to be able to call some of those people friends. And while I have loved all of my friends, those who hold the most special places in my heart are my female friends. I know some of the most amazing women and I am indeed lucky to call some my friends. These women are smart, funny, loyal and fiercely protective. They have shown time and again that they would go to battle for me and I love how each of them are willing to go after anyone who has hurt me. I am humbled and grateful for that level of love and caring. And I know I would do the same for any of them. These friends are a source of strength, a source of comfort, and always the ones who can "talk me back from the ledge."
What saddens me is when I see women around me who are so competitive with each other that they don't know how wonderful these friendships can be. They're all fighting to be the prettiest and the one who gets all the attention that they see more benefit from keeping someone down rather than trying to lift her up. I wish I could say I only see it in younger women, but I do still see it in women my age. Not as much, but still enough to be disheartening. And the thing is, when we women work together, we are a force with which to be reckoned.
What saddens me is when I see women around me who are so competitive with each other that they don't know how wonderful these friendships can be. They're all fighting to be the prettiest and the one who gets all the attention that they see more benefit from keeping someone down rather than trying to lift her up. I wish I could say I only see it in younger women, but I do still see it in women my age. Not as much, but still enough to be disheartening. And the thing is, when we women work together, we are a force with which to be reckoned.
Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant.
Socrates
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