I started writing a response to 's post and it kind of turned into a post of its' own. I plan to write a reflection on my recent vacation soon, but I thought that until then, I might as well take some time to do what I love! Interact with friends and help curate on the chain. You should visit her post here to find the inspiration for this post.
What does maintaining friendships mean to you and how important is this to you?
I think maintaining friendships is as important as we want it to be. Believing and practicing LoA has reinforced the belief that people are always coming and going in my life and that the right people are always there when I need them to be and I have no need or obligation to force anyone to stay or be a part of my life that doesn't naturally want to do so. I think on some level we all crave connection and it's important to be grateful for the connections we do have and not resentful of the ones that we must let go of. We are all in each others lives for reasons that may not even be apparent to us at the time and that goes both ways.
Do you feel obligated to maintain certain friendships? And if so, why?
I used to. Over time I've become more comfortable with my own boundaries and again I'll reference LoA here, having some kind of faith in myself and the universe and my own authenticity allows me to trust that the people I need in my life, whether I am aware of it or not, will be there when I need them and in turn I am doing the same for them or others. When relationships start to feel toxic, I have zero conflicts about removing people from my life, sometimes that upsets people, but it isn't personal and we all have to be true to ourselves. We don't owe anyone anything and no one owes us anything. We all just are and it all just is.
What do you do to maintain your Friendships?
It took a while to figure this one out, but once it became clear, I really can't see it any other way... I can only be seen in the reflections of the people that I interact with. We are all energy and while energy never starts or stops, it's the reactions and interactions that we get from others that help to shape and define our own self image and set our own boundaries. Self reflection is great for figuring out what is real to us, but the infinite endless reflections of existence seem to be just as necessary for self exploration.
Namaste.