Imagine hanging out with someone all day who berates you. They make final judgements about your character. They criticize anything you do imperfectly. They gossip about everyone you meet. They treat everyone like this. They even shame you for having such a shitty friend around all the time. You desperately want them to go away, but they won’t stop following you. They never leave. The moment you wake up until the moment you fall asleep. Every conscious moment, their stream of negative comments flows into your ear.

What would you do?

You would escape.

You would fill your life with noise to distract yourself them. When you are inevitably alone, you would do anything to alter your mind and shut them out for a few moments because solitude is abusive.

Now imagine a true best friend. They arrive the moment you arise. This friend knows everything you’ve ever done, good and bad. They know. They care. They love you. All day, they listen to you. They never make a final judgement. They say things that encourage you to live into higher and higher versions of yourself. They fully accept where you’re at today and they understand the difficult moments you’ll feel as you grow. They are fascinated by your unique personality. They don’t gossip about other people. In fact, they see everyone like this. Even your enemies. They only speak truth to you in the service of love.

What would you do?

The sky’s the limit. Solitude is no longer scary, it is grounding.

We don’t get to choose many things, but we get to choose our friends.