WHAT IS A TRUE FRIENDSHIP?

Friendship is faith, trust, joy, fun, creating something together.

Friendship is true, when it is not always based upon ego, it is true when it is open and others are allowed to become friends with your friend.

It is true when it has some positive cause but it is hampered when it is developed for some selfish motive.  

It is true when friend is always available for you in all your challenges and in any odd times. But it is not true, when fake reasons are given to keep friendship going.

Friendship based upon truth lasts longer.

 MINEIN :1

When two friends come together for a good cause they create something beautiful.

 TRY THIS ACTIVITY

1.    For this activity, you need one A4 size paper, two pencils, one table and two chairs or you also can sit down to perform this activity.

2.    A paper will be kept between both of you and you both will start drawing on it.  Both will be drawing on the same paper and on the same topic.

3.    It has been observed that Initially people have torn at least one paper, asked for making two halves of the paper, not become easily ready to draw on the same topic. Showed less amount of trust. And that also loosen their confidence.

4.    Let it happen in the beginning for some time; and then give them a minute to think for a while.  And Start again.

5.    Many of them find out way to complete the task. And take the challenge quite well. Some of them still have problems. May be the other friend is taking more paper, more space or something like this or the common complaint is, other person is spoiling the drawing. Just observe whatever is happening.

6.    Discuss and Debrief.

Every reaction, there is a new scope for learning.

MINEIN : 2

A True friend is that who connects.

 What does research say?

:: CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND HAPPINESS ::

• Loving relationships are crucial to our well-being and happiness.

• Connections and relationships create space for safety and support that help us to explore and learn more. 

• We can build more resources and cope up appropriately with stress and adversity.

• Self - worth is validated. 

• Diverse ideas and influences help us to grow and become successful.

• Fun, care and celebration of good times.

• People with strong social connections have less stress-related health problems, lower risk of mental illness, and faster recovery from trauma. 

• Healthy life-style habits are promoted.

• Psychologist James H. Fowler studied the data of 5,000 people over 20 years and found that happiness benefits other people through three degrees of connection, and that the effects last for a year. 

• He says, " We found a statistical relationship not just between your happiness and your friends' happiness, but between your happiness and your friends' friends' happiness."

• The concept "hedonic adaption" is may be an exception here.  Hedonic Adaption is that, joys of loves and trimphs and sorrows of losses and humiliation fade with time. 

• In contrast to material goods, we are more likely to continue to want our close relationships, even after we attain them, and to continue to derive positive emotions from them. 

• Christakis suggests that, “There is a new kind of hierarchy we might think about as policymakers and social scientists. It’s not just whether you are rich or poor, black or white, urban or rural. It’s also about where you are located in the network.”

• Zen Habits, by Leo Babauta, He mentions that, with connections we also meet with new opportunities, collaborations and emergence of new creation which was not before there. 

• He also explains the importance being open for new people and thoughts. And coming real with other people rather than just a knowledgeable, smart, accomplished and funny person. That is also true but not completely true so, there is a danger that these things may hinder in the process of being a true friend and create true connections. Sometimes being vulnerable is not bad. That shows trust among all other new strange people. And that may also increase the possibility of trustworthy, deeper connections and long-lasting better friendships. 

So be a good friend, be real, be vulnerable, be connected. Have a great friendship day. 

Google Images : 1

Resourses: 

http://zenhabits.net/connect/

http://www.pbs.org/thisemotionallife/topic/connecting/connection-happiness

https://edge.org/panel/nicholas-christakis-the-science-of-social-connections-headcon-13-part-v

Images ( first 2) : From MinEin : Mindfulness Emotional Intelligence Program.

EVERY STEP BECOMES IMPORTANT…
A note on mindfulness and nature trek… have a look. 

While trekking on a small  or a big mountains, we get embroiled by mindfulness automatically. Mindfulness captures  us with every step we want to climb up or climb down as we have to take care while trekking; when we see that there is a slanting steep slope we become more and more alert, and try our best to put our foot forward with extra care. We try to avoid all obstacles, even small stones, or the places from where we may get sliding down. We use all our knowledge whatever we have regarding climbing while trekking. We apply all our concentration and focus to move. We try our best to avoid distractions as we understand about it. And take every step as mindfully as we can. 

When we are completely in our own present moment awareness, We experience all that is happening around at the same time.  The smell of the trees and the grass, the colours of the whole atmosphere, The changing of brightness of the sunlight, The due on the leaves, hues of the sky. That make us think and feel in deep. 

Our all sensory organs are activated. As our nose with the aroma of the grass and  flowers, eyes with all different colours around, ears with the sound of our footsteps, crumpling noise of dry leaves, birds chirping, animal sounds, and any sound we make there, the music of the nature and the music played by our trekking partner,  our feet are connected with earth, and our hands with some trees or big  stones or other group members hands for support. Sometimes support is available but we feel we don’t need it, we can still manage, sometimes support is not available but we need it. What an irony!! 

Recently I had a wonderful experience while trekking, We all me and my family members were visiting a place which was supposed to be untouched and full of scenic beauty. As soon as we entered there, There was a very different aroma of yellow flowers in the valley, the whole valley and the mountain was surrounded by the fragrance of those yellow wild flowers,  I still remember the aroma;  it was little spicy, balmy, little medicinal ; I tried to find out the reason behind it but it’s still pending. 

May be it has some medicinal qualities. But with that all Yellows, the Valley was really looking friendly. As if it was suggesting us to be friendly with it all the time. While taking care of you ; also take care of the valley. Clean it, and save it. And I came across with a very difficult slope, My Nephew helped me getting down from there what a friendly gesture he showed. Wow! 

My brother in law caught our attention towards a fast movement, and it was a small snake, it went under a big stone, and then he went from there, that snake  was unexpectedly fast; it went from there and made us feel free and safe again, My husband said, we actually should not  complain since we had entered in his territory. We tried to find out his species, with what we found, the colour and his speed but we could only thought that he was poisonous. Anyways we were delighted that, we could complete our trek ; and learned a big lesson and that is, sometimes, every step becomes very important.  what say?

The Valley we could see from far...

When we went little near by and could find this beautiful yellows!!!

And that is how they were from our very close...