Did you read—or did you have read to you—The Velveteen Rabbit when you were little? It’s a beautiful allegorical story on the essentials in life: friendship, caring, sharing, and the inconsequentiality of outer appearance over what really matters.
Substance over stuff… friendship over fluff.
The Velveteen Rabbit is also a story about how caring becomes loving, and loving becomes who we are and what we do.
Brene’ Brown speaks of six types of friendship with Oprah on Super Soul Sunday. I watched it twice, and was moved to buy her book, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are.
Her sixth kind of friend reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit. That’s the kind of friendship I value most… the kind of friend I am and aspire to do better.
By the Time You are Real
If you have a grandchild or young one in your life and you’re looking for that special gift, remember The Velveteen Rabbit. Most importantly, remember what really makes it special is enjoying it together.
Sharing creates the special moments in our lives.
In mentoring and coaching work, clients are often surprised to discover that what they want most in life, they already have, or have access to: close and meaningful relationships. These can happen anywhere and anytime and are not dependent on what job we have or where we live. And, if we don’t yet have the kind of meaningful relationships we want, we create them by being that kind of friend.
Now, in our second half of life, we have the opportunity to come more fully into ourselves. We know to do the best that we can for our bodies…. eat nutritious organic foods, be active and exercise, and to continue to learn and grow mentally. These are foundationally important to a healthy and happy life.
And now we know.
Our greatest gems await in the treasure chest of our heart.
