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They take work.

January 2, 2011

Relationships take work. Period. Unless you’re the type to cut and run at the first sign of trouble. So maybe I need to change that first sentence to “Long-term relations take work.” The challenging thing is that the type of work required changes depending on the type of relationship, and who it is with. And the willingness to do the work changes depending on how important the relationship is to us.

Sometimes it looks like agreeing to someone’s request to take an unplanned trip. Sometimes it can mean having to face your own shortcoming and how those have co-created a current challenge.

I just got back (Literally! My coat is still on.) from a day and a half road trip to help a friend support someone after a death in her family. I know this someone too and I was glad to deliver my condolences in person but I probably wouldn’t have made the trip on my own. I’m glad I went and the friend I traveled with is really glad I went since she got almost no sleep last night and the 4 hour drive back would have been impossible.

How do you respond when a relationship needs a little TLC?