New Friends

"No New Friends" is a song that has become the mantra for so many people today. I see it on my social media. I hear it at gatherings. It's all over the place. People everywhere are celebrating the fact that their friend groups are strong, loyal, trustworthy. I find myself sitting here wondering had I kept my friend group, I would have totally neglected my loyalty to myself. To my ability to grow and change as a human being. To being true to the person I am today - my values and my character.

And yet, in giving up those toxic relationships, I find myself the in a weird spot. Free from fake friendships but then absent of friends. I've never been the type of person who has been codependent in that way but I realize how much I miss the good times I've shared with my friends.

In having dinner with an old friend, I realized how much I missed having the ear of a friend. Just to sit there and talk, get feedback and feel that interaction allowed me to see that I was missing out on an essential part of the human experience. Sometimes, I just need to vent frustration. Other times, I need the outsider's point of view that will allow me to open my mind to make that paradigm shift. I have a good friend that provides me with that but there are realities of his life and mine that limit the friendship. I've accepted these limitations but it still leaves me at a loss with regards to what my needs are in that way.

So I've released myself of old friends, their habits, and their lives. I wish them well but I had to open space in my heart for new, genuine friends.

So my mantra is "New Friends!" Not a slew but just a tight knit group who has my best interest at heart, that is concerned with seeing everything I'm a part of be successful. Do those people still exist out there? I won't give up on God's ability to bring them into my life. So I guess in the meantime, I'll just have to be patient.

If God has blessed you with a best friend, be thankful for him/her. it's a rarity and a gem to have.

Be in prayer for me.  Please.

fin.