Happiness is a Stand Up Friend
“I got your back,” he says when he sees trouble coming. He’s there to defend you against attack, no questions asked. He doesn’t even need to know where it came from. He’s on your side. That’s a stand up friend.
They come in the feminine gender, too, like mother lions on full alert.
It’s the ferocious side of friendship, ready to battle for your integrity and honor against anything that would tear you down. It knows your worth. It values your being. It’s proud to stand at your side.
Internalized, this is the friend who disputes the derogatory things you say to yourself. It raises its sword against Worthless and No Good. It hauls out the fire hose and blasts at the mud you would hurl at yourself. Its mane stands up when it hears Always and Never, knowing how false and ruinous they can be. It hates Can’t and What’s the Use. It refuses to hear from Shame.
Be as ferocious in your love for this side of yourself as it is for you. Treat it to feasts when it pulls you from the pits. Give it high fives when the sun shines.
If you haven’t heard the voice of this friend in awhile, it doesn’t mean he’s not there. It means you have tuned him out, preferring the sound of your pain. He’s always there. Always. Call yourself a name and look around. You’ll see him glaring in the corner. He’ll grin when he sees you have spotted him. Buy him a root beer. Welcome him back.
You might also like...
Posted in 
