Sahil Bloom at The Friday Five: Actor Tyler Perry—portraying his wise Madea alter ego—once shared a brilliant framing for thinking about your relationships.
There are three types of people in your life:
- Leaves: These are the people that are only around from time to time when the weather is good. They blow around as the winds change. They provide shade during the summer, but as soon as winter comes, they fall off the tree and disappear.
- Branches: These are the people who are more present and stable than the leaves, but they aren’t permanent. They look strong, but if you try to stand on them or pull yourself up from them, they may break under your weight.
- Roots: These are the people who are permanent. They are deep and wide. They are there in the summer and the winter, they are unperturbed by the changing seasons. The leaves and branches may come and go, but the roots are there forever.
I love this perspective.
There’s nothing wrong with having leaves and branches in your life. When times are good, these people can bring joy to your world. But never make the mistake of thinking they will be there during the bad.
The most important question: Who are your roots?
Who are the people who will be there through good and bad? Who are the people who will sit in the mud with you? Find them. Cherish them.
More here.
