Thankful for good friends

It's morning.  I've had my first cup of coffee.  Tyler is off to work.  I need to go empty the car to get ready to head to the Rescue Food Bank in Detroit to pick up a pallet of kitten food for Frankie's Rescue Squad.  I need to get ready.  Instead I'm sitting here, staring at the computer.  I've been thinking a lot about friendships.  Relationships ebb and flow, and I'm thankful for each one of the people I consider friends.  But, no matter how old I am, it hurts when friends go away.  Most of the time these losses occur naturally due to someone moving, or changing interests in hobbies or sometimes the friendship has just run its course.  It seems like Covid caused a huge shift.  Of course, I think the rest of my life I'll look back and divide my memories as pre and post Covid timeframe.  There are friends I miss dearly.  Others I smile fondly when I think of them.  

But, then there are the friends we lose because of a difference of opinion, or philosophy or....  Those are hard.  Here I am more than halfway through my life and I still mourn for relationships past.  One dear friend we had to step away from because he was just too filled with constant drama and angst.  I miss him so much, but I couldn't give him what he wanted.  Some relationships can turn toxic as one person or another changes.  It's growth to recognize when a relationship is causing you emotional turmoil.  Other friends just have their natural course.  Some relationships are built around a hobby.  When you stop engaging in that hobby, they fade away.   The ones I'm struggling with are the ones I feel like I failed.  When I tried my best to help and nothing I did made things better for the other person.  

The older I am the more I realize the role mental health plays in our lives.  I have been in therapy and that's a good thing.  We all have things we need to work out for ourselves.  It's hard when we see people we care about in mental health distress.  You can't force them to get help.  I've seen that in several people this past year.  Yes, I've had a conversation with them.  One took it well and sought help.  The other one doesn't see it.  I'm blessed to have friends that will call me out too.  I struggle with depression.  I am on medication for it.  One friend said to me "Are you okay?  You are not yourself and haven't been for several months."  I started a new medication and it's messing with my brain.  I am making mistakes, forgetting to do things, etc.  I have sent my physician a message about this, so no messages telling me to do it!  lol  But, I'm so very thankful to have such good friends.

This season is hard for people.  Please reach out to each other.  Call your friends.  Reach out to those who fill your heart.  You never know, that phone call could be just the thing to make the day perfect for those people.  Now, I need to get moving!  There is kitten food waiting to be picked up.