I am a friendly person but I grow weary of being the one to say hello first. Greetings and that sort of thing are a two-way street. Saying hello to someone isn’t very hard, you have to be intentional about it. Being nice seems to be harder these days and I wonder if people are more afraid of friendships or perhaps we are just fearful of getting burned. I am a bit of an extrovert but I have my limits as to being the one to initiate contact with people. All I can say is to practice kindness, it is an awesome thing to do.
Tag Archives: friendship
Six Word Story
I’m thankful for your friendship bloggers.
Comment or Friendship
I fear commenting on stuff a lot of times because I am left-of-center on many issues. Everyone has the right to their opinion but when yours goes against many of your friends it can become a problem. There are times I need to keep silent so that friendships can remain. I don’t know but I don’t have a lot of really tight friendships in this life so sometimes I have to keep silent.
Maybe I don’t fall for the lemming thing and I have chosen to think on my own. Maybe not having a great number of friends has freed me to form independent opinions on things which has informed me about the world in a deeper way. On Facebook and even Twitter there are debates of the day which has raised the volume of rhetoric and venom among people who have been life-long friends. Perhaps I choose to be different and the voice of what is fair, just, inclusive and loving.
So do I comment or choose friendship…that is a tough one.
Friendship
I think friendship is something unique and personal to the individuals who are connected to one another. All I have ever wanted in a friendship is to know I am liked and appreciated. Personally I don’t have loads of friends I hang out with. Being married can change the friendship dynamic with other non-family members I suppose. There is value in these voluntary relationships because they offer companionship and support. I don’t ask much from my friendships. No one should take friends for granted because they are hard to come by. I am not the best at friendships for some reason. Maybe I want to be as valued as much as I value others. I think I’m a okay bloke but sometimes I wonder. Friendship is indeed a two way street though.
The Wrong Way
In the effort of being nice have you ever said something that might have been taken the wrong way? I sure have, probably a result from overthinking it and being overzealous. Not everyone comes from the same place and that can cause some communication issues. Our cultural and our language make up who we are as people and when you come from different places it can be challenging to be understood. People have the best intentions but can do things that make folks uncomfortable or perhaps put off.
Being gracious, understanding, slow to anger and having some empathy as well as sympathy are great things to have for every occasion.
Figuring people out without being judgmental is difficult but sometimes first impressions is all you have to go on. So how you relate to people initially can be a real challenge. Offending people by some poorly chosen words can be very harmful. Every experience with meeting new people can be a learning opportunity and hopefully you can have a shot at making new friends.
I think being friendly sometimes means making a fool of yourself. It is that experience that can make our lives more interesting don’t you think?
The Tony Burgess Blog 