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4 - Lessons in Friendship

Hey there,


You know, they say friends are the family you choose. And I had always thought I had this whole friendship thing figured out – love everyone, treat them equally, and you're golden. But life has this funny way of throwing curveballs at you, and sometimes, those curveballs come in the form of a friend who shatters your carefully constructed beliefs.


Let's call him Stephen. And yeah, it's a made-up name, but let's roll with it. So, he was like that unexpected plot twist in a movie you thought you had figured out. We shared jokes, secrets, dreams – the whole nine yards. I truly believed that I could be the same person with all my friends, treat them all with equal doses of love and attention. But Stephen? He called me out on my nonsense. 


One day, we found ourselves in a heated discussion, and this time, something snapped. I lost my cool, let my temper run wild, and our friendship was caught in the crossfire. It felt like a scene from a bad movie – harsh words were said(by me), doors were metaphorically slammed shut(again by me), and our friendship crumbled.


The fallout was painful, and my heart was heavy with regret. I realised that my stubborn insistence on treating all my friends equally had blindsided me, and in doing so, I had hurt the very person who had challenged me to grow.


Weeks turned into months, and silence hung like a heavy cloud between us. I realized that accepting my mistake was the first step, but the real challenge was to mend what I had broken. Swallowing my pride, I reached out to him with an apology one day. I admitted that I was wrong and that I valued our friendship more than being right.


To my surprise, his response was nothing short of gracious. He accepted my apology without a hint of judgment, without rubbing my nose in my mistake. It was like a breath of fresh air after being trapped in a stuffy room. We talked, we laughed, and slowly but surely, we rebuilt the bridge we had burnt down.


Through this, I learned a lesson that I will never forget – that treating everyone the same doesn't mean treating them equally. Each friend brings their own unique colors to your life's canvas, and it's okay to paint different strokes for different folks. Our disagreements don't have to be deal-breakers; they can be steps towards understanding and growth.


So, here's to Stephen, the friend who taught me that love isn't about being the same, but about understanding and accepting each other's differences. And here's to second chances and the power of an apology – the glue that can mend even the most shattered bonds.


With Love,

Atreidus

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