Unearthing the Gift

Many years ago, even before starting a serious creative/spiritual path like I am on right now, I knew that the relationships we have with other people were very important. Of supreme importance, is the relationship we have with ourselves, but that is a topic for a separate post. Today, I want to talk about our relationships with others.

When I was in college, I knew that the relationships I created with my classmates and professors were going to be more important in my life, in the long run, than getting good grades. Thankfully, I was able to get good grades and focus on my relationships while in college. Later on, when I was in graduate school and out in the “real world” I still held this belief and acted accordingly. It’s not that I didn’t value the work I was doing or what I was learning, it was mostly the belief that, at the end of the day/year/life, what would matter most is the relationships I had and what they taught me about myself and about others.

This belief has been the backdrop of how I live my life. Now that I am following a more structured journey of self discovery, I can see how all the relationships in my life were sent to me in the right time for the lesson I needed to learn.

I am not implying that I am a pro at this relationship thing, but I am saying that relationships are important and should not be taken for granted. Even the troubled and broken relationships we might have with our families, they are important to our growth and development. Even the superficial relationships we might have with coworkers or people we think are not very important in our lives, they exist for a reason.

Lately, relationships are on my mind because I am realizing that, as I get older, they are becoming more complicated and existing relationships are beginning to change. I have had my fair share of relationships (friendships) end and I am not a stranger to the fact that, when we are no longer needed in one person’s life, we will drift apart and move on. I have made peace with that, it has happened to me too many times and I am thankful for learning that it’s okay for relationships to end when it is time.

Relationships are also on my mind because of the holidays, I am sure.  What about you? Do you spend time reflecting on how you are relating to your fellow humans? I would love to hear from you in the comments!