What is a “real” relationship?
One of the great things about writing from the heart is that there is always plenty of material to share with you. Well, that’s true when I decide to share my inner dialogues without holding back anything out of fear of how I will look or what you might think of me. In the world of blogging it is particularly challenging for whatever I write is available to anyone who wants to read it – my family, the people I work with, people that I want to be in relationship with and mostly folks I don’t know at all.
This morning I awoke with a letter to my daughter in my heart. The starting place was one of frustration with her not being a way that I wanted her to be. As I wrote, I found that the only place to write from was focusing on me. What was it that I was feeling and where did I feel that I was not measuring up to my own inner standards?
An interesting thing happened. I began to be more and more honest with myself and in this openness, I felt more and more free. I also realized that the message I was writing about family actually applied to all relationships. So I have revised a part of my letter to my daughter to share with you.
What is a true relationship? I think the answer to that question is both complicated and simple. The complicated part comes from the beliefs that I have about what it should be. These beliefs come from who knows where – what I was told when I grew up – what I saw in the movies – my dreams of a perfect life. Whatever the origin these beliefs create an unreal world that I am constantly trying to create.
The simple answer is the question of what is true relationship seems to me to be one where I offer unconditional love and I don’t not have any attachment to who someone ought to be or any agenda of what I want from them.
The choice of what does true relationship mean is obviously very personal and my choice doesn’t mean that it is the right one for anyone other than me. This understanding is helping me though as I look at my life and see where I say I am in a true relationship yet I have a neediness that wants to be filled or a standard of behavior that I feel the other person must meet.
So often I find that my relationships come from wanting something from someone – I would like you to be my client – I want you to help me feel secure – I want to feel wanted. The list can go on and on.
What would it be like to not engage any relationship except from unconditional love and having no agenda or need? What I bring to the relationship is myself (unadorned) in service.
As I write this, I can feel a lot of fear rise up. As I watch it swirl around, I know that I am feeling a discomfort – a discomfort that is from living a life of agendas and unspoken needs. How will it be to live without this approach? I don’t know and I am going to find out – fear or not….
I will let you know how this unfolds.
With appreciation and service,
Thomas
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Thomas White
