Learning To Invest in Relationships

A few weeks ago I spoke with a friend, and he mentioned something that has replayed in my head every day since.

Invest in relationships in the same way you invest in your goals.

For a long time, I struggled to understand how much I valued the relationships around me. I spent most of my childhood around others: school, sports, and time with my siblings. During Covid, I was a recluse and spent very little time with anyone else. I became self-centered, losing one of the most important qualities of human beings: a genuine interest in the world and people outside oneself.

Currently, I am in a new city and continent from where I grew up. I am far from almost all of my friends and meet new people every day. I'm learning to value relationships again, to experience the entire spectrum of emotion that springs from interaction with others. I am learning to rekindle that gentle quality of mindfulness and attentiveness when listening to others and to regain interest and curiosity in the world outside myself. We live in an unexpected, yet fascinating world, and I want to experience it to the fullest. Learning by living.