Keep Your Friends Close…

The week after Valentine’s Day, I took the girls on a weekend getaway at a fabulous resort in Captiva Island FL.

The weather was gorgeous, the island vistas breathtaking, and the resort setting to live for.

The girls requested to be enrolled in a 3-hour program called Sanibel Sea School. They strolled around learning about marine ecosystems while I was left with the heavenly villa all to myself.

The first 2 hours were divine.

Bubble bath while singing to my favorite radio station tunes playing aloud, reading, dancing, Facebooking, a bit of texting, and even writing a few pages for my upcoming book [The Mom Principles].

The last hour felt like an itch on your back right after you’ve had your nails done…no one to scratch it! I was so happy to go pick up my girls and really enjoy the beauty of it all with them, my littlest friends.

Ahhh; Togetherness!

Solitude and silence are necessary for oneness, spiritual connectedness, creativity, and inner-peace; however, No Man Is An Island: we are not designed to live in isolation but in union and communion with other beings. While happiness is one’s creation, happiness is meant to be shared.

Do you remember Tom Hank’s character interaction with “Wilson” (a volleyball) in the movie Cast Away?

We crave connection, closeness, and acceptance. Abraham Maslow called it “Love and Belonging”, placing it as number three on his human hierarchy of Needs Pyramid.

Whether for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, friends are placed in our lives to allow us to experience love and trust,  share knowledge, advice, ideas, plans, and words of encouragement…and listen attentively, laugh and tease, cry and be comforted, grow and let grow.

According to many researchers (who call friendship “Social Support”), the benefits of a strong social network go beyond closeness, intimacy, and companionship. 

Social connections are essential to physical wellbeing, resulting in a longer life span (by 22%), reduced disease, and stress levels, stronger mental health, better coping skills, faster recovery, and ultimately, a happier and more peaceful existence.

Not having a reliable network of  well chosen friends can be detrimental to your health. There is NO safety in loneliness!

Don’t be fooled! It’s not about taking advantage of the physical, mental, and emotional benefits friendship has to offer but rather about the contribution you can make to the people in your life.

Today’s hectic pace puts enormous demands on our schedule.

As a busy bizzy mom, time to bond with others is like a safety pin in a haystack, yet I am determined to “Keep My Friends Close”.

Whether it be face-to-face, or by phone, mail, e-mail, text, Facebook, an online chat, or forum, quality time with our friends is a true treasure!

I am grateful for the wonderful and not-so-wonderful people I’ve called friends. I am blessed to experience extraordinary lasting friendships to make my journey easier, simpler, healthier, and happier.

Who is your best friend? Why?

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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