Eclectic: Regina - The Importance of Friends

Regina

By Regina Price

This week I thought about the importance of friendships and how  it helps us. Being a good friend makes us feel better and optimistic and valued — three things that are very supportive to us -- and it makes the friendship last for years.

After my aneurysm, I met a man who had been in a serious car accident, years ago, and because of it, he is disabled. He became  my art teacher every week through an organization called AABIS (Alberta Artists with Brain Injury Society). He doesn’t go anymore because of his health and I don’t go anymore because I am so busy going to yoga for my health, etc. but we keep in contact though email. Last week, Normand Berube wrote to me and said: “Friendships are a bloodline that motivates and give us the energy to live life!” I was so impressed about his thoughts that I asked him whether I can use his quote in my story and he said okay! Because of Normand, this story became a reality.

It makes me realize how friendships grow and make us heal — in our body and soul. Being a good friend means listening and if possible, without serious speech problems, giving our opinions and being there, in our substance — wherever and whatever this means. These vibrations make us feel good and important to our friends and it makes our brains and bodies help to heal us, physically and mentally.

Most of us lost many of our colleagues because we lost our jobs and the status of having a position. Nowadays, we don’t have what we had before. Most of us are disabled and our lives changed immensely. Most of us live with spouses or in homes for disabled people. We don’t have some contact with some of our “old” friends.

How can we find new friends? There are many places to go and meet people — but sometimes we need to meet lots of people to find a lasting friendship. Don’t get discouraged even when you go to places to meet new people and can’t find new friends -- at first. I imagine that it is like panning for gold. When I was younger, I used live in the Yukon and lots people there tried to pan for gold but very few found a nugget or lots of fragments. When you finally find a friend, congratulate yourself and your friend and claim the first meeting as a friendship day.

How can we find places to meet new people? Well, you can find interesting places so that you can enjoy the activity including sports, games and reading books or discussing movies. Other place to meet new people would be volunteering with organizations that you like -- to help others which can increase your self-confidence and the amount of fun. Maybe, during the time volunteering, you might find new friends as well.

I remember my speech therapist talking to me about meeting new people and using the skills I learned from her and practice, practice, practice. Now, 5 years later, after my aneurysm, I can hardly believe that I couldn’t say three words to many who I had never met before. Nowadays, I talk to store clerks, ask questions at the library, and chat with new people without mentioning my aphasia — very, very uplifting.

Famous quotes about friendships:

• C.S. Lewis: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
• Elbert Hubbard: “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.”
• A.A. Milne: “Piglet sidled up to Pooh from behind. "Pooh?" he whispered. "Yes, Piglet?" "Nothing," said Piglet, taking Pooh's hand. "I just wanted to be sure of you.”
• Alfred Tennyson:  “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you... I could walk through my garden forever.”
• William Shakespeare: “A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to.”