Calling On Each Other
by Laurie Renton

During the difficult times in the last few years, with COVID and all the changes we have faced, friendships (relationships) are so important. Yet it’s during difficult times that we will often hesitate to call someone when we are feeling down or going through a series of challenges. The main reason being that we don’t want to bother them.

I know myself that when I have a good friend, I don’t want them to suffer alone when we are just a phone call away, or better yet, be there in person and have that opportunity to listen.

Engaging in conversations set with intention are something that is needed more now than ever, where people are able to share their sorrows, sadness, and challenges, as well as their joys, because this is what sharing a life through our relationships is all about. These challenging COVID times are when we really need the understanding and compassion from those we care about, but just don’t want to be a burden and sometimes don’t know how to ask.

Acknowledging how we are feeling, and the emotions that are surfacing when we are having a tough time, is when it is so important to have those conversations. I call them “Conversations that Matter,” and yet there is often so much fear or shame involved.

Have you found that during this time of COVID there have been relationships in your life that have changed, distanced, or even ended?

This is a common theme for so many people with whom I have spoken. In this current environment, so many of us look at the differences around COVID, and if you’re not in agreement with each other’s beliefs, then judgment and separation happens, even from those closest. This makes my heart so sad.

Yet, the fact is, if there is ever a time to come together, it is NOW. Statistics show that most of us feel better when we have helped a friend simply by listening empathically while they share their feelings. After all, it’s having those relationships in our life that help us not only get through these tough times, but to also celebrate the good times.

Things do not change; we change.—Henry David Thoreau

When we open ourselves to help from others, we build the relationship because the conditions motivate reciprocity. When others have helped us, we want to help them next.

Openness and vulnerability also tend to build relationships. When people see that we’re in need, they have the sense that we’ve opened ourselves up to them, and this, too, tends to foster bonding. By becoming vulnerable to others, it shows we trust them.

When someone helps us, it is proof they care enough to pay attention and take action knowing that the relationship matters. Do you have this support in your life right now?

While so many of us around the world are learning to adjust to a new way of living, we thrive for CONNECTION, the foundation for building deep and meaningful relationships that embody mutual respect.

Even when we are not in the space together, we can continue to lift up others, making a positive difference in each other’s lives rather than shutting others out because of different “Points of View.”

Remember, this pain we are all going through during COVID is “Shared by All”; everyone is impacted in one way or another.

I dedicate this article to those of YOU who dare to Sprinkle Kindness, Radiate Love, and Scatter JOY!

Laurie Renton’s dream has been to create a space where she could guide others through a process of getting unstuck in their lives using a unique mapping system. This has led her to being one of the Founders of the Visionary HUB, which is located in Yorkton, SK. You are invited to join them in person or online at the Visionary Hub for the Hub Factor to experience the Values mapping system to see for yourself…it is truly transformative. For more information, visit www.thevisionaryhub.org or call (306) 783-7737, and also see display ad on page 23 of the 27.6 March/April issue of the WHOLifE Journal.