[bluidkiti]

December 22

Only with a true friend’s input can we hope to see our world clearly, for our own perception always seems the truth.

~Dr. Richard Fritz

We need our friends. Not just for good times but for basic health. In isolation, everything becomes magnified. Without others to help us form our boundaries and perceptions, whatever we can imagine becomes monstrous and whatever is monstrous becomes reality.

If our old rules tell us to hold back and to decline closeness, we put ourselves at risk when we obey. Lacking the shared experience of others, we are vulnerable, not only to loneliness, but to gross misinterpretation of reality. Minor setbacks may be seen as catastrophic, and people who don’t go out of their way to be friendly may be plotting against us.

By connecting with friends, however, we’re able to see that our monsters are only about knee-high, that most of our fears are made of smoke, and that no gray day can hold out against the sunshine of common sense and a functioning program.

I am thankful for the stabilizing influence of friends.

Today's reading is from the book Days of Healing, Days of Joy, Daily Meditations for Adult Children