Friends are Like Flowers

                Friends are Like Flowers 

By Kefa Onditi

A musician once wrote a song romanticizing friendships and analogized them to flowers and life as a garden. Like flowers in their variety make gardens beautiful, so make friendships in their richness—the lovely orchid, like a friend that compliments, bring sparkle and color to life. Roses are beautiful, but the thorns remind you to tread carefully; those are like the friends who criticize you. I have no idea what flower proliferates and is always ahead of its time, but we will always have a friend who is ahead of us.

The friends who compliment you are essential because a compliment can brighten up your day. They could comment on something as insignificant as new earrings, and suddenly, you feel a fresh gush of confidence. Suppose you did well in public speaking or a presentation, and someone makes a nice comment about your oratory skills. This gives you a boost of self-confidence and joy. Friends complimenting you always see the details, acknowledge your efforts and make you feel seen. They will be there to crown your every achievement. They will help you gain the respect of your peers because they magnificently see you.

When someone tells you that your hair, shoes, your beard, or even your house are always clean, you will always maintain a neat beard and a clean house so that they don't find you with a dirty one and lose that respect for you. It is human nature to desire affirmation and to feel seen. Your mental health needs to stay with people who find a way to complement you.

Every garden needs a rose. In this context, a rose alludes to the ones who criticize you. There are two sides to criticism; you must be wise to tap into constructive crisis. Simple questions about “why do you always frequently wear that shirt? Why doesn't your house have a Tv? Why are your window curtains transparent? Why are your children always walking with runny noses?

Such questions make you realize the small things you are doing in the wrong way.  These questions sometimes bring out the bad personality traits that you have. Criticism about the company you keep can be in the form of “Why do you like walking with that drunkard? “Why do you always laugh loudly everywhere? “The bad habits you possess are what you should read behind that statement.

 These people might look like your enemies, don’t like you for who you are, or don't appreciate what you do. But that is not always the case. You will discover that you are not perfect by listening to these people. You become better when you listen to them, fix yourself, and work on those small mistakes. These people might even compliment you after you have improved on what they told you, and you be happy and proud of yourself. You will always be on your toes to keep those compliments.

The ones ahead of you. These people will constantly challenge you and inspire you to want more from yourself. This is because you will be challenged to be like them and bask in their achievements; they will share some of their aspirations and dreams with you. You may see that yours are too small; thus, you will begin to dream big, set high standards, and have a bigger vision of your life. Then as the hardworking person, you are, you will work to achieve bigger. So always ensure that those around you are way above you, and you will use them to guide you and give advice from experience. Some may even care enough to offer favors once they see your desire to improve. These are people with better financial status, better relationships with their families, and better social qualities like leadership and spirituality.

You are whom you keep around are whom you keep around you. One biblical allusion to friendship is in Amos 3:3; two cannot walk together unless they agree. It would be best if you kept essential people around you. Your success depends on your company and habits as on what you do every day. You will unleash your most significant potential if you identify.