Seed, bud, blossom or bloom?  How do you measure the progress of friendships?  Yes it’s Monday and we’re contemplating questions that may not be top of mind. Friendship means different things to different people.  Consider the various stages that parallel the birth and life cycle of a rose.  Like the singular rose friendships start and can peak before declining.  I’m not advocating that every friendship declines and dies.  Some do; I’ve spoken to the “friend for a time” relationship.  Some friends endure.  Perennial versus annual varieties. The connection is deep, planting roots in the fertile soil of our heart or soul (you choose).   Some friends are delicate, others are more hearty.  Some are a single blossom, others are a bouquet. Not every friend can be the same or provide the identical portions of what we need.  Variety is vital.

Friendships are reciprocal relationships but not always symmetrical. At times we fill up friends, other times they fill us up.  True friendships are not based upon “what can you do for me” or “I’ve already done [fill in the blank] for you, what’s in it for me”.

Nurturing, fertilizing, cultivating and perpetuating happens at different times and most times without conscious effort.  Friendships should be effortless.  Connectors emerge subconsciously and couple us to those whose puzzle pieces fit into our life picture.  By effortless I don’t mean friendships don’t take work.  They don't seem to take effort because we want (dare I say need in the form of desire to engage?) to expend energy to build and perpetuate the relationships. 

Friends beget friends.  One shoot on the rose bush of life will spawn sports that blossom into other friendships.  Interesting how human nature, yes we are drawing a corollary between human and horticulture.  We are human but we have characteristics of our vegetative cousins.  We put down roots, figuratively, and enable others to put down roots.  

“Are you going to get to the point or are you going to beat around the bush?”

Cute!

The law of attraction is alive and well – emotional magnetism drawing positives to negatives (speaking of the magnetic pull of opposites).  We want and need friends.  They complete us, improve us, hold us accountable, encourage us to look beyond the limits of our immediate field of vision.

The Keystone Conference ushered in Spring 2015 with one of the most fertile environments for new friendships, solidifying existing friendships, reengaging with friends who have been on our mind and in our heart but whom distance has put out of physical reach.

I departed the conference full in certain regards and wanting in others.  Such wanting can only be satisfied by my friends.  I’m sure you echo my sentiments.

Have a wonderful Monday, filled with fantabulous memories and the promise of more to come.

Love and hugs, Nikki DeCaro