True Friends

This week's quote, by Carl Spitteler, is another post on friendship: "Menschen zu finden, die mit uns fühlen und empfinden, ist wohl das schönste Glück auf Erden."

Which being translated, means: "To find people who feel, and empathise with us, is probably the best luck on Earth."

Hmm. Up to a point. Yes, it is "the best luck on Earth" to find a friend with whom you can share deeply and feel heard, But I also believe that in the normal run of things, to *have* such a friend, you need to *be* such a friend.

Because friendship is a two-way street. and even the most empathic, kind person will find it hard to remain empathic and kind, if their kindness and empathy is received with hurtful words and negativity.

But I also appreciate that there are times when we hit rock bottom, and cannot give anything positive back. When the black dog takes hold, even survival is a tough call. At times such as these, an empathic friend is absolutely the best luck on Earth. Depression is a real and debilitating illness. And I'm not qualified to talk about it, because I have never suffered from it. And certainly not qualified to judge anyone who is suffering from it. I hope that I would be given the wisdom to just be with that person, alongside them, so that they know they are not alone.

May we all strive to reach out, and be that friend to one another.