Relationship Reflection

Relationships to me mean that I am never alone.  I have great neighbors, friends, and an ability to provoke conversations and talk with strangers.  Relationships and partnerships provide a structure of guidance and trust.  To build a relationship is to be human and to be social.  In companies the word far more used would be partnerships, but these partnerships help companies to gain profit and to learn from product production and if in other countries, differences in economy, language, and how to do business successfully. 

I have a positive relationship with an old friend, an ex-boss, and my neighbor, just to name a few.  My old friend and I have been able to keep in touch through emailing and family outings.  We remember to check in with each other and care about what the other is going through.  She is very supportive of me and my decisions and I of her.  The thing we have learned to do best is to listen.  My ex-boss has become a welcomed ally.  I have proven my work ethic to her and she believes in my abilities.  This has strengthened my confidence in my work performance as well as creating a bond between what we both believe to be right and how we can better ourselves professionally.  Since she has trained me it also benefits her to see me perform well.  Our relationship has remained strong due to our knack of striving for more.  I see that my relationship with my ex-boss can be considered a partnership because if I plan to get back into her line of work I can use her as a reference.  I can also seek professional guidance from her and mature understanding.  My neighbors and my family were not always so friendly.  We started out being unsure of each other due to strong differences in religious beliefs.  This relationship I believe means the most because of the trying times we had but were willing to work around them.  Now my neighbors are first to be called when we need a hand, to borrow something, and just help with anything.  We have realized the kindness of friendship and the importance of having someone to trust and be considerate of you. 

A challenge that I had personally that many may have had as well is with a relative.  It feels more forced when it’s a relative that you must get along with, however, it doesn’t mean that you must like each other just that you act civil.  Ironically enough, this person that I had an issue with was my mother-in-law.  We are from different backgrounds and it was very hard for us to understand each other.  It seems that I also wanted to impress her so much that I would end up getting carried away and look like a fool.  In her eyes, I was taking away her “baby boy” and I never stopped and took the time to realize that.  If I had of been able to put myself in her shoes, I could have saved us years of ignoring and bickering.  I could have been the bigger person and stopped the charade. 

I feel this is kind of like how educators and caregivers for children feel towards parents and some families in general.  Perhaps we don’t see how hard it is and just how stressful it is for a family to drop off their little one into the big world of preschool or kindergarten.  We also don’t recognize some cultures, or races, and may be wary of how to act.  If we focus too much on how we are supposed to act or be perceived I feel that it will be assumed as an act that we are putting on.

My mother-in-law and I were able to get over our hump by being approachable.  My mother-on-law had developed a common theme about me and when she realized it wasn’t true she was able to accept me and listen to what I had to say.  Now we joke and get along great.  I only wish we hadn’t of wasted so much time.