Let’s Talk Lifestyle: Relationships

Hey y’all! Glad to be back from Florida. While I was down there, bonding with my cousins and friends, I got to thinking about the nature of relationships. And that brought me back to a conversation I had with my mom, where she hit me with a few insights I thought I’d share. So without further ado, pull up a chair and let’s talk relationships.

So we’ve already talked about relationships a little

Last time, we delved into friendship, which is a type of relationship. Much of what we discussed applies to relationships as a whole as well, like the interdependence and voluntary participation. This week is going to delve more into the broader idea. And incidentally, mostly has to do with the word relationship itself. Allow me to explain.

I got my love of words from my mom

She’s the reason I drop so many dictionary definitions into these posts. Words have meaning, and those meanings have power behind them. Especially since most words are made up of other words. We can break down the word relationship into two parts: relation and ship.

Let’s talk about relation first

Relations are effectively the attitudes you have with other people. Which is interesting, since it indicates that it’s an ongoing thing. A true relationship is built off ongoing relations with others. It usually isn’t a one and done, and tends to have to be cultivated over time.

On top of that, relation contains the word elation, which has to do with happiness. You can find elation in your relations (some of them at least, and I know that was cheesy). But you have to work at it, and continuously commit to “re-elating” the relationship. It’s one of those things that’s done in the long term. Think a marathon, not a sprint. And then there’s the ship

When I think about a ship, I usually imagine a cargo tanker or a cruise liner

The thing about ships is that they tend to go on long, sometimes epic journeys. Some of those end in paradise, while others wind up like the Titanic. But the ships and those abroad commit to the voyage, no matter what happens. You’re on the boat until the end, however that might take shape.

And our relationships are the same way. We form a contract of sorts to journey with others. The duration, of course, is variable, but we commit to it until it somehow ends. Every relationship has its highs and lows, and we determine what and how much we are willing to deal with. But no matter what, we have to accept the other participants as they are, accept the relationship as it is, and acknowledge our contribution to it. That’s the only way to make sure we stay afloat.

Communication is paramount

No matter what anyone says, there will always be points of contention in any relationship. And when those occur. it’s important to sit down and talk about it. I’m probably going to dedicate an article to communication, but the gist is this: be open enough to accept and give criticism, as well as discuss problems. That’s the only way to make sure a relationship succeeds.

I want to thank you for talking humans with me today. If you vibe with the content, please subscribe! And if you know someone who might get something out of it, please share! As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, so drop a comment, hit me up using the Contact Me page, or find me on Instagram @ryokeniii. Also, don’t forget to talk humans with someone this week. Talk to you later!