Soldiers in battle, side by side.  Against an unknown and unseen enemy, having fellow soldiers doesn't guarantee that death will not come nor does it mean that conflict will be avoided.  However, what it does ensure is a stronger soldier so that when conflict does come, they have the confidence to face it head on. Soldiers push each other to be better.  They point out flaws and help to fix them.  They provide companionship and care, and at the same time they get each others back when the battle comes.  They never turn their back and run in the face of danger.  The commitment to their fellow soldiers gives them the strength to keep going. 

Similarly, and yet uniquely, friendship is a powerful bond. It is similar in that friends can not protect friends from everything that will come, but also in that they provide strength for each other. Similar in that friends push each other to be better by pointing out flaws, but providing ways to fix those flaws, and hope to do so. The bond of friendship is similar to the soldiers bond in that friends never turn their backs on each other, and always face difficulty together. 

However, the difference between the bond between soldiers and friends is that there is no need for reservation. Often times with soldiers bonds there is some need for reservation in how close you can get with your fellow soldiers.  How much of a bond you can forge because it is so easy to lose them.  However, friends for the most part are not going anywhere.  This is something I've been beginning to learn over the past two months or so.  Slowly I'm beginning to realize it is worth it to begin investing in the people around me and being able to form connections, and allowing to be and valuing them investing in me.  

It's a little bit scary for me, not going to lie.  It is something I'm certainly not used to, and is a bit like going from the meadow of what I call comfort into the forest, not knowing what is inside.  Could it turn out to bite me? Yes, no question about it.  Am I still willing to risk that? .....I'm starting to be.