A Little Advice?

Friend-noun: A person attatched to another by feelings of affection or personal regard; someone who supports and sympathizes with a person or group. Syn: comrade, chum, pal, homie!

Who are my friends? Why do we have friends? What does it mean to really be a true friend? I ask myself these questions I guess, because I have never really been good at the friend thing. My natural propensity (redundancy noted) is toward selfishness. I admire people who can love openly, easlily and unconditionally. I am not like that. I do genuinely look for the good and people and can usually find something likable in everyone I know. I am even friendly [adj: Favorably disposed, inclined to approve, support or help. Syn: Neighborly, amiable, cordial]. When it comes to real, true, deep friendship though, I fall painfully short. It seems I only care when it is convenient for me. As much as it hurts to admit, it is probably true to some extent. If I have to work too hard at it, or put myself out there too much, I do tend to hold back. I would like to change this! Perhaps I am not alone. Are there others of you out there who, for whatever reason, find yourself holding back in relationships or with things that are really important to you? This last year or two, I have been really trying to open myself up to the possibilities of this glorious, God-given gift of life! I don't want to just endure it, I want to embrace it, enjoy it, and truly LIVE it! I have tried some new things, and hope to try some more--as long as they are not too scary or dangerous--ok, old me is not gone completely ;). As part of that, I no longer want superficial, casual relationships. Perhaps we use the word friend to casually to mean anyone that we know, instead of reserving it for people who are truly our friends. I want to be real with the people who matter in my life. I want to be a real friend.

So help me out here. Am I a lost cause? Can we change old habits? Where do I start? Open up the world of possibilities to me...

To be continued...

Quote of the Day: "Live with authenticity, awareness, and alignment"

--Kimberly Wilson in Hip, Tranquil Chick