friendship

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What Do YOU Need to Hear Right Now? - EOL004

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Ever wake up wanting to talk to someone and have them tell you everything is going to be alright? If words of affirmation are your love language, you may know exactly what I'm talking about.

Since losing a friend earlier this year, I've been finding a lot of comfort thinking about what she might say if she were still with us. She was so supportive of everyone in our friend circle, and she could be counted on to hype anyone up if they needed it. I picture her enthusiastic smile and how she would probably say something like, "Emily, stop spending so much time being sad and go live your life happily! Enjoy your kids, make more podcasts, and write another book already!"

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Friendship Lessons of 2021

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I didn't originally intend for friendship to be a big theme of mine for 2021, but for a pandemic, I had a very full year of it!

I realized early in the year how much I was longing for past friendships that have dissipated or fallen by the wayside in recent years, even before quarantine and social distancing were in the picture.

This was one of the first times I know of in my life where I actively challenged myself to step outside my comfort zone of hiding behind my screen and to find people like me — and in a way that didn’t feel like I was bending over backward or pretending I was someone else or trying to act “normal” or make everyone like me (the impossible). I made some mistakes, of course. I even repeated a few until the lessons finally sank in. But I'm also proud of how I found strength and rebuilding in the process of getting back up from those setbacks.