“Choose your friends
wisely” we
were taught when
young.
And yet, looking
back on it, that
advice was more
about not hanging
out with those
who smoked, drank
or did drugs,
skipped school
or got pregnant.
Not that those
are behaviours
to ignore but in the
long run, they were
asking us to focus
on surface things,
behaviours that
change, that mature
that go away over
time.
That teenager who
got pregnant
the one who was
smoking pot in the
school washroom?
One ended up being
an awesome
mother,
the other became the head of
a volunteer organization
known world wide
for its aid and effectiveness.
And even so
would either of them
be today’s
wise choice for you?
So…choose your
friends wisely.
Pay attention
to who you are
when you’re
with them.
Are you given
opportunity to
speak of what
matters to you
are you being
heard
encouraged
praised
and honoured for
what you
bring to the table?
Are laughter and
tears shared and
enveloped?
Is the way you
walk your
path of life
accepted and
delighted in?
Do the people you
hang with
know you,
see you for
who you are
even, maybe
especially, in
your vulnerable
ugly moments?
When you wrap
yourself inside the
confines of a
cocoon, do they
truly know you
will emerge a
glorious butterfly
and do they
wait in
anticipation
while you are
becoming?
When you are
exhausted
worn down to
the bone by
life’s tragedies
by heartache
beyond bearing
do they show up
with hugs and
hot chicken soup?
Pay attention to your
friendships
hold on to those
whose love is
unconditional
and release into the void
those
who are unable or
who choose
not to
know you.
~Joss Burnel
