Monday, February 1, 2010

Make like a tree and leaf!




My cube mate and good friend, Marissa, recently watched a Tyler Perry play. As she was telling me about it, she described one portion of the play he used a tree to symbolize the different levels of relationships we have in our lives. The analogy broke down like this:
  • Leaves- The acquaintances in your life; people who 'float' in and out of your life.
  • Branches- These are the people who are fused in your life but as soon as you need to rely on them, they break; letting you fall.
  • Top half of the tree- These are people you have known the longest; who were once the strongest relationships in your life but over time have grown out. This part of the tree is reliable but unstable.
  • The base of the tree (the "roots")- These are the people in your life who are your foundation and strength.

After she explained this analogy, I started to mentally place everyone in my life at the various levels on the tree. Then I began to wonder....where am I on everyone else's tree?

This past year I felt that I finally started to change myself into a better friend. For years I subconsciously had the mentality of 'whatever friendship is convenient for the time being'. Don't get me wrong, I valued these people who came into my life but it was always a surface level of interaction. From that moment of realization, I made a promise to myself to try and be a better friend to everyone who still considers me a friend. This analogy is a perfect way of keeping me in check of what kind of friend I am to that person. Hope it inspires someone else just as it did me! We can all use a good friend!

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