It has been quite an amazing year. Due to the availability of technology, we have been able to connect with old friends without leaving our homes. We have also been able to make new connections, new friendships that we might not have taken the time to develop had we been out and about, instead of in our homes “stuck” on Zoom.
So I would like for us to celebrate our friendships. Old ones, new ones, and even ones that are yet to arrive.
How are friendships formed?
This week, spending time with a new friend made me do a lot of thinking about how friendships form. There is usually something that brings two people together. It could be a common event or a social activity. As children, we were often in the same neighborhood, class at school, or sports team. As adults, we often attend the same church, work together, live in the same neighborhood, or have a common hobby.
One Community, One Heart
There is always something that brings us together. But what is it that makes us stay together? What is it that makes us develop a friendship? What keeps us motivated to nurture the relationship into something sustainable and strong?
I believe it is one heart speaking compassionately to another. I believe it is feeling the strength of each person, being open to the soul of another individual, and realizing their essence. Having the opportunity this year to connect with many people online and develop friendships through some very tough times has been a vital part of surviving this pandemic with some sense of sanity. The friendships we have built will last a lifetime. We will be forever grateful.
The Lipedema Community
In my chorus, which has been together for 50 years, we sing, “It’s music that brings us together, but it’s the friendships that make us stay.” And so it is, also, for the members of the global online lipedema community. Through social media, Zoom classes, and webinars, it is the Lipedema that brings us together, but it’s definitely the connections of friendship that make us stay.
~ Gail Straker, BAEd
Community Manager, Director of Coaching
Lipedema Simplified