My Clique
Yesterday afternoon, my good friend Danny texted me and asked if I wanted to go eat Buffalo Wild Wings before heading off to the gym. Without any hesitation, I said to him, "YES. LET'S DO IT." It's always easy to say yes when it comes to Danny. I see him 5 to 6 days a week (we go to the gym with each other every single day) so you would think that we're probably sick and tired of each other by now. In fact, it's quite the opposite and this can also be said to all of my closest friends. Tina, Steven, Emily, Stacey, the list goes on. All of these people have one thing in common and that is the fact that they all share a very special bond and connection with me. Or at least enough for us to never get tired of each other since we've been friends for nearly a decade now.
Here are some of the qualities that are consistent across all of my interpersonal relationships.
1) We're able to have deep and meaningful conversations
People love talking about themselves; however, I want a friendship that allows me to be both a listener and a speaker. The dynamic of the conversation needs to be strong enough that even silence can also be appreciated from time to time.
While I love to talk about music, raving, and nightlife, I am much more interested in other topics such as career, health, education, technology and current events. I enjoy receiving insightful information from people who are much smarter than me so if the only thing you can ever talk about is how much fun you had at that last rave event, I seriously don't know how long this friendship is going to last.
2) We're ambitious as fuck.
I'm always hungry (literally and metaphorically speaking). I can't imagine how bored I would be if I chose to settle for contentment and stagnation. Or how different my life would have been if I did not surround myself with people like my best friend Steven.
It's no secret that I'm ambitious. I will never hesitate to tell you that I absolutely love challenges and obstacles. I also love thriving under a stressful environment, but at the end of the day, I do it because I'm inspired by brilliant people who are seeking to change the world with their special gifts and talents.
You know when you see someone do good...you, yourself, just want to be better. I want to be better.
3) We know how to have a good time.
Work hard, play hard. That's the old-school mentality and we do it well. In fact, we do it very well. We might not realize it today, but truthfully, I believe that we already have all the foundation to enjoy our life as it is. In order to do so, we must first focus and appreciate the smaller things aka the things we always take for granted. Ex: quality time with loved ones, reading, long walks, meditating. I think having fun while doing our daily activities also makes everything just a little bit easier. It's a matter of perspective really. But I guess when it comes down to it, I can't be more appreciative of my wonderful friends for always reminding me to prioritize my happiness and my health. At the same time, they are always there to cheer me on whenever I venture out to do something new. That is one of the keys to a lasting friendship ---we know how to make time to celebrate each other's wins. Which means that, yes, you'll be seeing us at Beyond because why the hell not?
Truth is, I don't feel special on holidays or my birthday, I feel extremely blessed every single day whenever I get to wake up and do what I love, be who I love, and love what I love.
Before writing all of this down, I was actually very overwhelmed. A lot of people have been asking me when the next time they'll be able to see me again or when we're going to hang out, but I could never give any of them a definite answer. Why? I'm trying to seek balance and mindfulness right now and I won't be able to do that if I don't filter out certain people first. It's a busy time for me and so it's only fair for me to use the minimal time that I do have and give it to those who genuinely care about me. But ya know, I appreciate you all so much. Just give me some time to find that balance first.
Trying to discover myself in my early twenties is hard, but I find it even harder when so many people are tugging to see me left and right. However, the good thing is that I will always have people who will never ask me to give more of myself to them because they'd tell me time and time again that me (right now) will always be enough. So thank you, guys. You know who you are and I love you.