Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Growing Relationship
One relationship of mine that has grown over time is the relationship I have with one of my best friends, Dea Kim. I first met Dea through one of our mutual friends we were both close to. It started off well right off the bat since we shared a mutual friend and eventually, I started seeing her more and more. It started off as an I-You relationship where we would engage in small talk about how our day went, how her organization was going, etc. We talked about topics that were not very in depth or personal. We stayed away from topics on problems we were having with our boyfriends or at home, negative feelings or opinions we had on something, etc. However, as I hung out more with both Dea and our other mutual friend, we became more comfortable with each other and found common ground. We began talking about our personal lives more, and became more open with one another. Now, our relationship has blossomed into an I-Thou relationship where we can share anything and everything with one another including embarrassing stories, drama and stress in our lives, and sometimes even talk about sex.
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Dear Michelle,
ReplyDeleteVery relatable relationship. The way you describe the way you started off your relationship with your friend sounds like how i talk to almost all of my friends. I tend to keep friends at a distance, not talking about hardships or problems that I have faced until i feel comfortable enough with them. The close friends i do have also became that way the same as Dea and you. The more you hangout with someone, the closer you are, and the more you share. Best friends are so important because you can share anything with them.
"Bel Air"
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure a lot of people can relate to this kind of relationship because most friendships start of this way. After high school, I met most of my friends through mutual friends and all of them started out as I-You relationship, except for one (as you were able to read on my blog post). That one is most definitely the most unique relationship I have with anyone :) Since that is an exception most relationships, I think, kind of have to start of as I-Yous because most friendships grow along the way, and they start of small, and then flourish.
From my experiences relationships of any kind rarely start in the I-You phase. I have had a couple of my relationships with friends and girlfriends where they did start out that way, but most of them didn't. So when I read a posting like you have it makes me realize that it can happen a lot more frequently than I thought it would. My relationship with my current girlfriend didn't start out with the I-You level, but it changed into that once I decided to approach her. The friendships we make in life that start out as an I-You are some of the ones that we need to keep going as long as we can in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteMichelle,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you. These types of relationships are invaluable. Whenever you find yourself doubting yourself it is always these relationships that seem to remind you of who you are. I have had the same best friend for over 15 years now. We do not talk every day like we used to; but whenever I feel like I am losing sight of myself, one call to her puts everything in perspective. We hold a mutual respect for each other and always make time for one another no matter what is going on in our own lives. Protect all of your “I-Thou” relationships because not everyone can say that they have one of these relationships. We are very lucky to have people in our lives that we can count on.