Relationships

Creating a healthy relationship with yourself and others leads to a fulfilling life. These prompts are an invitation to step inside yourself. Take a deep breath. Shuffle the deck. Pull a card. Write your heart out. Rupi Kaur

Old friends are like sisters

and who cares about their misters?

Not I

Oh my.

How healthy is that

I can be such a brat

Let me explain: It was the holidays, and I get to see more of my sister friends if they don't have a mister. I think others probably say that of me too, yes, they do. There isn't enough time to help with this situation. Relationships can be difficult to ration. Let's take it one day at a time. Enough of this rhyme.

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - Describe a time you had a falling-out with a friend. Would you have done anything differently?

One of my sister friends accused me of calling her a pig. She did that in front of a group of people. I didn't know what to say. I would never call anyone a pig and certainly not my elder. I started by disputing her and then realized she couldn't have heard me right.

She repeated me according to her word for word. Some of the words did sound familiar. I apologized and let it go. I was thinking, "If she really believes I would say that to her then she doesn't think much of me." Then I thought she was hurt and disputing her now just adds to her hurt.

I remember having to repeat myself with her several times in the last year. Much like with another friend before she got hearing aids. She was in her early 70s and I was in my mid-60s.

Several months later she told me she wasn't hearing well and now has hearing aids. She didn't apologize for what she accused me of. But that was close enough to an apology for her. She may still be unsure and that is okay. I know I would never call anyone a pig.

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - Imagine you can have a thirty-minute conversation with anyone in your lineage. Who would it be, and what would you ask them?

My aunt Lois as she was my mother's oldest sibling and the family historian. In putting together ancestry recently, she would have been so helpful with that.

How do you pick just one person? And for only 30 minutes?

I say I would pick my aunt but only if my mother could be there too for a first pick. Just to spend time, not so much for a conversation. I miss my mother during the holidays. I spent so many years with her during that time. She is still with us in so many ways.

Rupi Kaur's Relationship Writing Prompts - In what ways can you be a better friend?

In writing a book I received a grant to write, I am interviewing a few of my closest friends. Today, I am buying one lunch and giving her an honorarium for helping me with my book. In this way, I get to know more about my good friend. And learn some things I don't already know.

One of my friends always calls me and she will mention that she is always the one to call on occasion. It is always a fun conversation as we both laugh easily when we are talking. I can make an effort to call her once a month. How about on the 8th?

My daughter's friend told me the other day that for my daughter's 50th birthday, she would like to have a friend's weekend.

That would be a fun thing to do for some of my closest friends too. I would like to wait for warmer weather and maybe camp. Then again, maybe just check into a casino with a discounted room rate. The problem with that is I am not a gambler. I could maybe play a game of bingo. We shall see.

My husband doesn't golf and I do and I have only been golfing with my brothers and son over the last 20 years. I could put it out there to friends that I know like to golf to see if they are interested in going with me. Maybe I could check into a membership.

I have friends who get together for quilting and crafts. Why not join something like that?

Okay, that is probably enough to start with. It is really about being more available for friends and it would make me a better friend.