#6 Having an open mind...my crap is equal to yours

It's very natural for me to keep an open mind and have a wide variety of friendships. I am not able to travel, shop or go to a movie with the majority of my friends on a regular basis for various reasons. Most of my friends are in a different phase in their life as I am. It can seem rather inconvenient to maintain friendships like this however my friends are constantly teaching me new things and pushing me to better myself.

It makes me happy to know I have friends who can give me a different perspective on a variety of things. Some of my friends are older and share their input on previous experiences. Some friends are a lot younger than me which allows me to appreciate the fact that they are influential and honest about the ways they look up to me. Some of my friends are encouraging and good listeners while others have a strength in pushing me to try things that I would never have done before. I have a great appreciation for all of these traits.

When in a good friendship I know "the big bad thing" is only the piece of what that other person is seeing. In a good friendship the other complex layers of who I really am can be addressed and nurtured. Sometimes, when I am really lucky I will experience moments where "the big bad thing" becomes a topic that is suddenly a lesson or a gift for each of us. A true friend is someone who views my "big bad thing" equal to his/her "big bad thing."