As I have reflected on both great experiences and challenges faced recently, the importance of meaningful relationships has been a focal point in many situations.
The transformation that I have gone through this past year has produced many changes and resulted in questioning everything in my life and the direction I want to pursue. I view the questioning as a positive because it has caused a shift from doing things because I have always done it, to researching and understanding the options, selecting one, and pursuing it because it is aligned with my personal beliefs and who I want to be.
There are relationships in my life that are strained, which causes frustration, anger, and resentment because I would like my close relationships to be harmonious. One close relationship has been particularly strained for too long.
One question has led to me pushing aside past issues and pursuing the relationship I would like to have:
If this person died today, would I regret where our relationship was?
This was a powerful question that brought up a lot of emotion and reflection. The answer for me was a resounding NO. If the worst case scenario occurred, I would be racked with guilt knowing that my pride and stubbornness prevented the relationship that I wanted. This question was enough of a scare to push me to take the first step in mending the fences and making progress in certain meaningful relationships.
Perhaps this will provide some inspiration to push aside past emotional scars and reconnect with someone you care about. I can say that once I made the first step, the other person responded positively because they could see the genuine desire to make amends. If the other person rejects your peace offering, then it probably isn’t as meaningful a relationship as you thought, but you can move on knowing that you made an honest attempt and can only control your actions.
~Lucas