Windridge Reflections

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"Never solve a problem from its original perspective" .- Charles Thompson   This week I met a friend for lunch and our conversation quickly turned to an area of commitment that for me of late has felt extremely unbalanced…. And worst of all was the feeling that I was somewhere out in left field with my feelings, out of the loop, and the uncomfortable possibility that I was the only one having these thoughts of disconnect and frustration. As the conversation wove its way through the hour, I began to understand that I am not alone in my frustrations, and my observations were not off target (in other words, I’m not crazy!). The more we talked, the more I started to gain clarity and a renewed sense of balance and perspective as to how I want this commitment to fit into my life… and for those insights, I am thankful. Friends and communication go hand in hand – use them to help you rebalance when needed – it feels good. "Happiness is not a matter of intensity b...

I woke up this morning and the first thought that came to my mind was—friends. This is possibly because I was at a Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara gathering last night and as I visited with fellow Hudson coaches, I realized the importance of connection and friendships in all areas of life. For me this looks like: Old friends —Those tried and true souls who have stood the test of time through many years of life’s transitions and changes. These are the friends I may not see or talk to for years, but because of “history,” when I’m with them, it is as if a day has not passed since we were last together. Close friends —Some of these are “old” friends, some of these are newer friends, some of these are family, but all of these are the people who I feel “safe” with when I share my inner most secrets, hopes, dreams, fears and insecurities. And they love me anyway. Business friends —This category is filled with clients and colleagues. These wonderful people value the relationshi...

I love waking up in the morning, checking my iPhone, and seeing new photos of my grandsons walking to school on a snowy London morning (via Instagram ): …and a blog post about Alpha, who lives in NYC: The Ones 2 Watch To have instant access to all my “people” who live half a world away is simply amazing! I’m so grateful for the technology of our age, and how close those far away can feel. I don’t know what I would have done had I been born 100-plus years ago! And then, a little later, sitting at Starbucks I receive a Face-Time call on my iPhone, and I’m able to enjoy my latte while chatting with “London”— in real time. How cool is that? What are you grateful for at the end of your week?

I remind myself of this every day - "In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet... Some will test you, some will use you, and some will teach you. But most importantly some will bring out the best in you." ( from Marc and Angel Hack Life - Practical Tips for Productive Living )

Last month I wrote a "Things I Want" list and one of the identified items was, “I want to have comfortable friends.” Today as I reread last month's thoughts I wondered to myself, so what is a “comfortable” friend and what constitutes a comfortable friendship? Is it the amount of time one spends with a person, is it proximity or identical preferences; what makes this special bond? I decided to take a little bit of my Saturday afternoon and jot down what makes a comfortable friend for me. Attributes of a “comfortable” friend, and thus, a comfortable friendship: We laugh, we cry, we rant, we tell secrets, we hold confidences and we know when to be silent. We listen. We respect each other’s strengths, and encourage each other to overcome our weaknesses. We speak with honesty, seasoned with grace. We forgive when boundaries have been crossed. We stand up for each other when the other person is not present. And at all times we can be ourselves, knowing that we a...