Relationships - Personal Practice

I pride myself in maintaining relationships.  It's a social aspect of my life that I've had for as long as I can remember.

When I'm needed by someone I tend to jump right in and offer my services.

In turn the relationships I put the most energy into are the ones where others offer of themselves to me as well.

Looking back at the start of the strongest relationships in my life, I can honestly say they all started with chance.

By "chance", I mean that we were introduced through mutual friends, we took a class together, we worked together, or sometimes it was a simple smile that opened up dialog.

In dialog we offered each other honest and open communication.  We each saw something in the other that made us want to open ourselves up and share some of our life story.

In opening ourselves up to the other we found ourselves vulnerable.  We hoped the other liked us as much as we liked them.  

What ever circumstance it was that attracted us together, in most cases we found ourselves having similarities that drew us closer together.

So this past week when talking with a friend of mine about a variety of relationships, I was reminded how simple ours had started.  It was a smile and hello while at yoga class.

From that simple smile and hello I've been given the gift of sharing wonderful experiences and I hope many more in the future.

I'm committed to... 

* Continuing to offer smiles and a friendly ear.

* Opening myself up and offering my best to those around me.

* Maintaining relationships.

* Building new relationships!

I'm committed to these, because they enrich my life and make it joyful.

I hope everyone can make a commitment to build relationships!