Week of October 29-November 4 - Question 2

My best friend Nicole and I have been inseparable for about twelve years now. During this period, we have made a lot of personal investments with one another including time, effort, thought, and feeling. We have built trust with each other by doing what we say we will do and keeping our promises. Not only that, but she has been there through thick and thin and has been the most emotionally reliable person I know. We communicate trust by confiding in one another and helping each other out with no limitations. We have built acceptance by counting on each other and accepting each other’s flaws. For example, as an adolescent I was extremely self-conscious and over time I developed a psychological disorder called exercise bulimia. Without thinking twice about it, she accepted me and my problem and helped me through it. It was a slow process, but it showed me how much she accepted me and it strengthened our trust. Lastly, we have built closeness by talking and listening to one another. Throughout the early stages of our friendship, we stayed in touch by writing letters to each other after I moved away. After a few years of doing this and after we got cell phones, we were constantly talking on the phone and texting each other. This turned into skyping and facetiming, until we eventually wound up going to the same university. By talking to one another we are able to understand our inner selves and provide emotional support.