Nurture "The Like"

Nurture “The Like”

 

 

Ok readers – I have had this phrase running through my head for several weeks now. I feel compelled to share….

                Our lives are filled with a series of relationships, starting from birth. Our first relationships are with parents, grandparents, siblings and extended family, such as, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. These relationships are typically founded on love alone…..We continue with life, eventually making our way to grade school and make our actual first “friends”. This continues through middle and high school…. college. We get jobs and sometimes our colleagues become friends too. We get married and inherit more family and friends. Within all relationships there is a certain amount of love that they have been founded on. This brings me to the question of WHY do we LIKE some more than others?

Typically we like one parent more than the other, or at least get along with one better. The same can be said of just about every other type of relationship…siblings, cousins, friends, etc. For example, we all have numerous friends, but most of us have a “best friend”….why is that? Why do we like this person, or feel closer to this person than the others? I think it comes down to compatibility.

What makes us who we are? Our raising. Our surroundings. Where we grew up. The family dynamic in which we grew up. Basic human instincts. Some may say when we were born in conjunction to the stars…ie. Horoscope and zodiac symbology. Some claim numerology and the mathematical formulation of the exact time we were born can make us who we are. Regardless of why we are the way we are….people are exquisitely different. And that makes us all amazing creatures. When we can find individuals in this life that can appreciate and embrace our individuality and uniqueness, it is indeed, a beautiful thing. That brings me to the phrase that has been rolling around in this head….”Nurture ‘The Like’”

When you find someone you “like”, embrace that. Realize what you like about that person and remember to respect it, and continue to nurture it. When you ask two people that have had a long relationship, no matter what the dynamic or circumstance of that relationship, they will say it has worked because they loved each other, but they also “LIKED” each other. I mean honestly, if you can’t stand the person you are with how can a relationship survive? I think it’s easier to love a person sometimes, than to like them. Having both is a blessing, for sure!

So, back to the original phrase of “Nurture ‘The Like’”….Recognize the people in your life that you like, and what you like about them. Nurture those relationships with respect. Recognize that these people that are in your life are a blessing. Don’t ever forget what brought you to like them in the first place. On days when you are angry with them, or you have just gotten busy with the everyday life, which we all do….take a moment to reflect back and remember why you fell in love, and “like”, in the first place. Memories can be a substantially powerful thing!

I hope through all my ramblings, I have made some sort of sense. J I know I am thankful for individuals in my life, from family, to friends, to coworkers, that I have felt “like” feelings for and have felt them reciprocate in return. I am guilty of losing sense of things throughout busy times in my life, but through it all, my support group has remained and for them I remain grateful and will continue to do my part and my responsibility as one half of these relationships….you know who you are! So, in conclusion, nurture the like in your life.