From birth and throughout one’s life, there are encounters with strangers that evolve into a deeper bond forming a relationship called friendship. Somewhere in the exchange of words and gestures a common ground was discovered between people binding them together from a few months, years, and even a lifetime if one is so lucky. Friendship is the relationship between two or more people, who support each other through phases in their lives. There is so much power in friendship as brings a sense of community, vulnerability, love, laughter and safety. One is lucky to have one friend and even luckier to have more than one. There are a few types of friendships that exist, each serving its own purpose. In all, each type of friendship has one thing in common, something that binds people together.
Work Friends:
The average employee spends more time at work than with their loved ones. As a result, it is normal to encounter a couple people at a workplace who get a small glimpse of who you are outside of work. Your workplace bestie makes your shift much easier with laughter, weekend chatter and griping sessions about the last meeting! They are there to make your day bearable and fun! Having a workplace friendship is beneficial to you as it increases your engagement, resulting in increased productivity. It is key to remember that a workplace is not a place to share very personal information. Use your discretion and set boundaries with balancing your professional and personal life.
Childhood Friendships
Friendships that begin as a young child and continue to grow throughout one’s life is a wonderful thing. They are are so powerful because they are formed during the beginning of self development. Childhood is the time of discovering oneself, self – esteem building and self-identity. Many memories are built here and the friends have a true understanding of who other including family values, morals and culture. When encountering a childhood friend, fond memories develop and breed a sense of welcoming, as though you are “back home.” The power in this friendship is that these wonderful people understand you, because they know where you come from, they were there with you.
Life Friendships
The people you encounter later in life, through university, mutual friends, life experiences and travels are the friends that remain for a lifetime. As life rolls along, experiences begin to occur that are both good and bad. During these times it’s important to have a community of people to support and help each other get through all of the ups and downs. These friendships help to make life better by increasing our joy. Life is not meant to be lived alone as there is so much more power in two than one.
The power of friendships is that deep connections with others is vital to an individual’s well being and ability to get through life. Friendships are golden.
