Accepting Relationships for What They Are: Reason, Season & Lifetime.

Some relationships simply happen for a reason, some are only there to last a season and some are meant for a lifetime. When we are able to recognize it's purpose, we are able to receive it's lessons and grow.

Finding out what type of relationship you are experiencing, be it with your partner, an old friend, a family member or a stranger, can be challenging when we're only choosing to see the situation based off of our expectations of that person or our feelings in that moment.

Let's learn to appreciate our relationships for what they are, and be thankful for how they've helped us grow.

REASON

These people leave a major impact in our lives. Generally they arrive to cause a shift or guide us physically and emotionally. At the time, they may seem like a godsend or a total upheaval, and that's because they truly are. That's their bigger purpose!

They could be the person who is late for work one day and passes by an accident that leads them to save someone's life.

They could be the nurse that helps you through a major surgery or delivering a baby.

They could be the person your spouse has an affair with, ending your 20 year marriage that leads you to finding your soulmate a year later.

They could the stranger you make small talk with at the line in a coffee shop that helps you land your dream job.

Whatever the reason is for this relationship, "reasons" leave just as quickly as they arrived, by no wrongdoing on our part. They were only put there to help guide us through whatever it was that we needed at the time. Be it beautiful or painful.

SEASON

These people show up when it is time for us to learn, grow and share.

Maybe they are childhood friends we spent a summer with at camp who taught us how to be wild.

They could be the Moms we meet in baby groups who help us cope during hard times.

They could be the friends that we pulled all-nighters with while studying for major exams in college.

"Seasons" will be a part of whatever it is that we are going through at the time. We learn from them, laugh with them and are in sync with them.

LIFETIME

Lifetimers come into your life to help us build our emotional foundation. These people are there to teach us the big stuff like how to love, be loved and connect deeply. Sometimes these relationships are hard and heartbreaking, but they always make it through.

They are our families. Our Partners. Our children.

Our childhood best friends who have been with us through it all.

Whatever it is that they have taught us, our job is to accept the lesson, love them, and use what you have learned from them in other relationships and areas of our lives.

THE TAKEAWAY

Sometimes we toxicly hold onto our seasonal or reason relationships in hopes that they will last for a lifetime, but the power of knowing when to walk away and being open to the value the relationship can offer your human experience is incredibly powerful. Being able to understanding why the relationship happened in the first place and the lessons learned can free you from any unhealthy attachments.