Last week I talked about Friendship and how much I love my friends. That got me to thinking about support in my life. My friends support me, I know this. It's taken me years to figure out what supports me and what sets me back. Support is a funny thing. I think we all need it to get by in life. I think sometimes we are more willing to give support than to seek it and ,God forbid, ask for support from others. To give support or show your support for someone or something is often viewed as being strong and compassionate. To need and ask for support is often thought of as a sign of weakness. So, sad. Support is a tricky little dance at times. When is support too much and enabling a person and actually making the person who is receiving the support weak? Here's my thoughts on that. Support loses it's value for both the giver and receiver when it becomes a burden on either party. Burden means for the supporter, they feel their energy and resources draining, they are resentful and start to wonder, "What did I get myself into here?" For the person being supported, it becomes the crutch. They are really not moving forward and their life isn't really improving.
I'm a firm believer in support in the appropiate amounts. There are varying degrees of support. Sometimes we just need a little bit, other times we need a lot, it all depends on the challenges we are facing.
One thing I do know is that being clear on what will support you when you need support is critical. So, is how much support you are willing to give, when asked. All in all, it is an exercise for boundaries and being clear. When all is in order...the clarity, the willingness, the bounderaries, support is magical. It connects us, it moves us forward, it creates positive possiblities in our lives. Yes, support can be a challenging and difficult dance to master, but it's worth the effort, both to give and receive.
This week seemed to be a week of challenges for not only myself, but others I know. The discussion of support and thoughts of it have been apart of my life this week. In addition, to all I've said in the above statements, I also think support can come for the most amazing and surprising places, if we allow it to enter our lives. My example of this is, is one of the crafts I received in a swap I was in on Swap-bot. I got this fun and cute little sock doll. The minute I opened it, Mickeygirl, saw it and fell in love with it! She was having a down day and not feeling so hot. The doll perked her up. It has been by her side for the last couple of weeks. This week she got a great report back on her blood work. Her health is good. I'm relived. I wrote to the creator of the little doll and told her Mickeygirl's story. She said it is not the first time a cat has fallen in love with one of her dolls. I think that it is really amazing. I also think it supported Mickeygirl on some level to get well, at very least, brought her cheer.
I'm using this as my project of the week...because I can, and I've made other projects that are duplicates and this one is so special. Consider it a guest artist.
How are you with the "Dance of Support"?
Until next week...25 projects complete! 27 to go! (wow this year is flying!)
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