keep your word, keep your friends

friendships thrive on follow through

it’s always disturbing discovering there’s something you have to improve upon, yet again. although there’s a conversation to be had about the sisyphusification of our 21st century, social media-fueled, self improvement culture, the one thing that remains true is that we must always work to keep our word. especially to our friends.

tonight was a friend’s going-away party. when i arrived, i knew i’d be leaving shortly thereafter. my brief stint was not because partying in the LES is not my idea of a good time on a saturday night, it’s just that I don’t like running on little sleep. when my friend saw me in the crowd, he said, “thank you for coming” and with those words, my tiredness was alleviated long enough for me to spend the 45 minutes i had allocated to the event.

keeping one’s word oughtn’t be seen as a promise because a promise is a debt and who likes debt anyways; but as a value. values are the pillars upon which our standards in this life are formed. for example, one of my standards is harmonious relationships. because of this, i detest drama but love tea because gossip remains a bonding activity. harmonious relationships are built on open communication but most importantly, follow through.

there are only 24 hours in a day and the way we spend each one is important to the quality of our lives and our sense of happiness. considering how fleeting happiness can be, it’s helpful to do things every day to maintain that feeling of happiness. after all, happiness is a state of mind, not a physical state. a small way to contribute to this feeling is keeping one’s word, especially to one’s friends.

so, even in the midst of tiredness or busyness, keep your word if you seek to keep your friends.

sweet dreams,

a diouana woman