Today a friend of mine and I were discussing another mutual friend who is going through a hard time. Recently all of us were together and prior to that, had spent time with her individually. There in the office kitchen, analyzing our good friend's 'issues', we both started to interject our own opinions and solutions and of course had all of her problems solved within half an hour.
Our brief exchange left me thinking about how many times in my life my friends and family discussed my 'rough patches' and how many times they worried, tolerated, discussed and planned ways to talk to me or help with my life. I'm learning to look back at things my parents experienced vicariously through my life and I've thanked them for how hard it must have been to watch someone you love suffer and how hard it is to take energy away from your own life to show you care. I've turned to friends and thanked them for listening to me and giving me hope throughout sleepless nights. I've asked for advice and received thoughtful, loving words that truly helped me make my own choices. It takes a village and we all take turns being the village idiot.
Partners are different.
Partners take all the blame even when it isn't their fault if they think that is what you need to hear. Partners give you all the credit even if they helped. Partners hold your hand when you take advice from someone else and jump off the cliff. Partners hold your hand when you reject and deny and hide and they try not to say, "I told you so". Partners are there by choice but love you as much, maybe more than themselves and then prove it. Partners selfishly and selflessly let you see every beautiful and ugly detail of who they are and partners are your heroes when you don't even realize you need one. Partners let you be a partner to them. Partners give you purpose and partners help you find your happiness every day.
I hope each of us is blessed with a partner and each of us appreciates him, her, it... as much as possible.
Thank you, Partner.
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