When Bonds Run Deep

Some thoughts on being there for others

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash

There are probably ten people in this world that if anyone ever truly hurt or wronged, I’d happily go to jail for. Very few of them are people I see every day, yet the fact remains — there’s very little in my power I wouldn’t do for these people.

I had a list like this when I was younger, but it was much more hastily and foolishly curated. The things I would’ve been willing to do for them, more foolish perhaps. I have healthy boundaries today. I’ve been let down, double-crossed and betrayed by people that were once on that list and there’s an enormous lesson in such experiences.

At the very least, I’ve gained wisdom and insights from them.

I’ve learned to choose more carefully. The older I get, the more life becomes about family than friends — and the longer I’m friends with certain people, they become more like family to me than even those I’m related to by blood.

I’m a person who feels deeply. I observe too closely and overanalyze all I take in. I read between the lines and take a magnifying glass to the fine print.

I can be overly sensitive and am often almost too empathetic. I’ve given homeless folks the last few ones I had to my name and didn’t care or even consider what they may have been using it for. Not my…