When I hear about a friend going through a rough time, I want to do something for them — anything from lending an ear to running earrands — generally something tangible that I think might make them feel better.
And sometimes it helps.
But sometimes what a friend is facing is so overwhelming that they need something else from you — they need the opportunity to know that a life somewhere is different from what they’ve got going on. They want to go over the details of how your life is working. There is something in their pleasure at what’s going right in your life that makes them feel better for just a bit.
Everybody’s had moments when they’re the friend that needs to live and moments when they’re the one who needs to live for your friend.
Knowing that, I find myself wanting to live a larger, risk more, make sure whatever I’m doing is worth it, so that the next time I meet with my friend, I’ve got a better story to tell — something to help carry the pain.