RTS Presents: Lasting Relationships

Over time, some friends will be more significant than others. Some will be more present than others. You have to decide who you want to give your time to, who will respect and appreciate the attention you give them. Yes, there are social interactions that will not amount to any memorable experience, and you will spend time with people who are fun, but those relationships are not substantial. Then, there are friends who you will not talk to for months, and it will be like no time passed.

Yesterday, I spoke to 2 friends who live out of state and drove to the airport, to pick up one, in town for work. This week, a great friend, who I don't see or talk to much, came to visit. The time spent with those friends grounds me, and gives me an opportunity to enrich my conversations with daddy. They make me happy to engage and learn about their challenges. They are sounding boards for me. Discussions this week went from managing personal insecurities, to parenting, to developing young college graduates, to ridding yourself of selfish people, to having fun in the bedroom, to negotiation tactics.

You will hear me talk about my "best friends" and I am blessed to have many who I am close with, specifically Uncle L, Uncle Tom, Mrs. Beth Snider, and Mrs./Aunt Michelle, all of which I have known for over 20 years. But there are others, like Ms. Mary in ATL, who I've known for 5 yrs and has become a true and close friend. Your Bac Chi and Bac Huong are my dear sisters. And Daddy, well, he is the one friend closest to my heart.

So when you are looking at your friends, think about who moves you forward, who helps you in your decisions, who ushers you through challenges, who will let you feel vulnerable, who will make you see your shit and not let you get away with it. Your friends will be smarter than you, more talented than you, more compelling than you. But you are all those things to them too.