When I chose to live vulnerably and write vulnerably I didn’t anticipate how my life would change.

It really wasn’t a thought in my mind; I just knew I needed to do it to get to the next level of my evolution. While at dinner with a friend a few weeks ago, we caught up and talked about the usual: work, life and relationships. I love my friends because of the honesty in our communication. The more open and honest I become with them, the more they reciprocate and are open and honest with me. It’s been very beautiful to see my relationships shift in this way.  It’s a way that I can’t describe; but can easily see and feel.

Recently, I noticed that I’m surrounded by a lot of people who are mirrors. A mirror is my term for a person that is a reflection of you or someone that is similar to you.  Overnight I realized that all my friends are in someway a reflection of me beyond my interests, but share similar experiences from my present and my past.

As the night went on, our conversation got heavier, because we talked about the heavier feelings that people sometimes don’t like to talk about or feel and choose to cover, hide or run from.  My friend was speaking her truth even when it was hard to speak that she had to whisper because it hurt so bad to say it and hear it. In turn it was harder for me to hear about those hard moments from someone I care about.

In an instant I realized my friend is where I was a few years ago. I remembered the exact moment in my life, when I was in her shoes. The moment when I was frustrated and wanted answers that I could not yet see. I then realized how much I’ve grown since then and couldn’t believe that I had forgotten a moment that was at one time so important to me and was all I could think about.

Next I realized that I was experiencing what my friends and family experienced as they witnessed me in that place of struggle, wanting to help me but knowing that all they could do was support me. All at once I felt an overwhelming sense of empathy for both my friend and my friends and family. I felt gratitude for being able to understand my friend from my experience and being able to see through my friends and families eyes and knowing that I am loved, supported and have amazing people in my life. Though my friend could not see the silver lining, like I couldn’t when I was in her shoes, I assured her that she is so close to getting through the struggle. In that moment I felt gratitude and was humbled at all the realizations that night provided me.