Head to any shopping venue and you'll see them--women leaning in to each other and laughing as they browse. Or head to a coffee shop and zone in on the two women sitting at the table next to you. Are they silent? Rarely!
One of the greatest joys of friendship is spending time together. It's one thing to catch up on the phone, but it's even more fun to share a few hours with a friend. When we aren't connecting in person, sometimes we miss subtle clues. We can't see the worry lines around her eyes or the nervous twisting of her hands as she tells us about a problem, but when we're together, we can gauge how serious the issue is.
In the November issue of Woman's Day magazine, the article "How Connected are We?" explains that deep human connections are biologically imperative. In it, Kimberly Merenkov, MD, attending psychiatrist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, says, "We can't live fully without direct human contact, nor can we live up to our talents if all we do is comply with the group. Connections with others develop our sensitivity to the human race as a whole."
This quote spoke deeply to me. When I'm speaking to someone and they reach out to touch my arm, I feel as if they understand and empathize with what I'm sharing. When I'm having a really bad day and a friend sees me and asks if something is wrong, the simple words make me feel better. Direct human contact--physically being with a friend--is important.
Do you pick up on the body language of your friends? How important is direct human contact to you?
Join me on Wednesday for a quick list of why friends matter to me.
Showing posts with label friendships. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friendships. Show all posts
Monday, October 18, 2010
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