7 - In your best Friend helping you

A dose is there in your best Friend helping you to find your way

Transcript

Current Episode Introduction

This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter:

• F

• A dose is there in your best Friend helping you to find your way

It includes a brief description of the verse, a personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with Doses of God in my life, a statement of gratitude, and a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.

Description

Here is description of the verse:

• A dose is there in your best Friend helping you to find your way

• A best friend is a blessing to us all. Your best friend is a person who you can share your life with, who you can confide in and trust. Your best friend helps to redirect you when you step off course and inspires you to fulfill your dreams. With your best friend, barriers do not exist; your relationship is connected at the soul level. Your best friend, who might be a spouse, childhood friend, or college roommate, can have a significantly positive impact on your life. In addition to a best friend, many other people in your life can also help you find your way. You may find guidance from a sibling, parent, neighbor, teacher, counselor, pastor, or someone else special in your life.

Reflection

Here is my personal reflection on the verse:

• To me, this verse is about receiving guidance from close friends or others that promotes my procession in a direction appropriate for my life. This verse has some parallels with the verse, “A Dose of God is in the Angels sent to you from up above.” Both include an emphasis on being aware of people in my life who have had, what I perceive to be, a positive impact on the way I interpret and interact with the world. My general worldview is often influenced by a spectrum of guidance I receive from friends, which may range from a suggestion that is immediately actionable within a specific setting to broadly applicable insights or philosophies that are transferable across an array of contexts. Here are a few examples representing various points along the spectrum of guidance I have received from others.

  • During a birthday supper for my sister and brother-in-law, my best friend -- my wife -- made a subtle yet immediately actionable recommendation for me to change the focus of my discussion points. I had become intent on talking about educational data and other heavier items relevant to my work. Thankfully, my wife advised me to ditch my focus on work and instead join the lighter, more comfortable conversation being had by everyone else, which was much more appropriate in that setting.

  • My sister has provided honest feedback to me on a variety of presentations I have prepared for delivery at conferences, workshops, and other professional development opportunities. Her unapologetic, constructive comments and recommendations undoubtedly enhanced my organization and delivery of the presentations.

  • My brother-in-law suggested I purchase a 3-year golf course membership during a promotional special so we could golf together in the mornings. Initially, I hesitated. I had only golfed a handful of times throughout the past several years. Plus, I wasn’t any good and wasn’t sure if I’d have enough time. My mornings were typically occupied with a walk around my neighborhood. He mentioned walking the golf course would be a fun alternative to my typical morning walk. He was right. I thankfully acted on his recommendation to purchase a membership. Each time I golfed in the mornings with him, with other friends, or alone, my emotional and physical well being were enhanced by the peacefulness of the morning and the exercise of swinging golf clubs and walking the course.

  • In the context of the reflections in this series, my friend who created a media company made a recommendation to me for sharing these reflections with potentially interested audiences by recording and releasing them as short-form podcast episodes. This led to the development of a project plan with steps for writing, recording, and disseminating the reflections, which activated an internally acknowledged but otherwise dormant desire to write these reflections and was accompanied by an accountability mechanism to help facilitate the evolution of this work.

  • In terms of other projects current as of the time I wrote this reflection, my friends working in academia have been helping facilitate amalgamation of my personal efforts and interests with professional opportunities. For example, they have regularly offered constructive feedback and new perspectives; have guided me in the synthesis, creation, and dissemination of knowledge in scholarly manuscripts and presentations; and have expanded my understanding of social justice issues by illuminating inequalities alongside strategies for navigating and confronting such issues.

  • Friends and others in my life have made recommendations for books that have had a substantial impact on how I interpret and interact with the world. To this day, I believe the book that prompted the most profound shift in my perceptions of how to navigate life is The Power of Now, which was recommended by a close friend several years ago and ignited an expanding curiosity within me to practice strategies and build upon the knowledge I gleaned by reading the book.

  • Some of my best friends over the years have made seemingly small comments in conversations that have had a lasting impact on my life. For example, on one occasion when a friend who lives with very few material items as he travels around the world walked into my house, he said something like, “You have so much stuff. What do you do with all these things? How do they add value to your life?” Although we have about the same amount of things in our house as other people we know, his comments prompted me to reconsider the extent to which I value material items. Another example is when a friend made a comment to me when we were discussing careers. He said something like, “It doesn’t really matter what you do in life. You will succeed in what you’re doing if you do something you can become good at and then do it better than anyone else.” This statement prompted me to expend more effort into the things I do, which seems to have had positive results.

Gratitude Statement

I am immeasurably grateful for:

• the influence my friends have had on my decisions and actions to help ensure I proceed through life along a path that is appropriate for me, and I will attempt to remain attentive to their guidance, as well as to the guidance of others, as my days continue.

Guiding Questions

Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse:

• A dose is there in your best Friend helping you to find your way

Take a moment to reflect on:

• your friends and how they have provided you with guidance.

For example:

• Who are some of your closest friends?

• In what ways have they helped guide you in the right direction?

• How do you feel when they provide you with guidance?

• In what ways do you express gratitude for guidance in your best interest that is provided by your friends?

• What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of useful guidance as it is being provided by your friends and others?

Closing Statement

In closing:

• When a best friend, or someone else important in your life, helps guide you in the right way, you receive a Dose of God.

Next Episode

The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter:

• G

• It’s in the presence of the Grief as you lose someone close

Positive Vibes

Thank you so much for listening. May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the Doses of God that are ever-presently here for you.