Hey guys, Jessi and Kara here!
We have some awesome reads planned for you throughout the month of February. We’re collaborating on the notion of love and every week we’ll release some insight on a different types of love. But before we get into the meat of today’s topic--friend love!--here’s a little bit about how we met and why we decided to collaborate.
How We Met
In the fitness industry, it is not uncommon to be ships passing in the night with the other instructors you call coworkers. But every now and then, like how you’ve probably felt other friendships, there’s a time when you know you just click with someone. Even before knowing our connection not just in fitness but also in nutrition we each thought, “I like this girls vibe.” Thanks Universe for bringin’ us together!
Why We Decided To Work Together
There’s sometimes the thought that working with people in your same industry is only encouraging competition. But, we think the opposite! Behind every person is a community. We wouldn’t be where we are today without that support and extension of ourselves. In the wellness realm, we seemingly all want to convey the same thing--inspiration to live a healthier life-- but we each differ in personality, unique experiences and individual journeys. We are all stronger together and that’s why this collaboration made total sense to us. With a jive that’s as organic as our veggies we decided to come together to blog all about LOVE and in the mission of love, especially in a month where it’s a Hallmark-card-focus yet a fundamental human need.
Here’s what we’re serving up this month:
Wed. Feb 1 | can we make this whole self love thing not just a thing anymore?
Tues. Feb 8 | our body on music
Tues. Feb 14 | the anatomy of a hug
Tues. Feb 21 | feeding your heart: foods that nourish your most vital organ
Tues. Feb 28 | feeding positivity
Check in with our sites (The Food Athlete + Feel This) and with our social (@jessipiha + @feelthis___) to get the posts as the month goes along.
In the spirit of friendships turned collaboration, we each wrote about what “friend love” means to us.
Jessi:
I have had many friends throughout my existence. When I was younger, perhaps more immature my beliefs about how friendships evolve and sustain were quite simple. Playing in the sandbox did not require any deep commitment and that level of friendship, those happy, easy going relationships might have more relevance than I thought at the time. As life developed and became more complex, and so did I. Not all of the schoolyard friendships lasted. Maybe I changed, (well, for sure I have) and maybe they changed. I have learned that friends come into my life for a reason, to teach me something about myself. Some stay and some go. They always left me with gifts, valuable lessons, some have shown me how I can be a better friend. Friends inspire me, challenge me, and motivate me. A friend gets my sense of humor. Friends do not judge. A friend calls me out when I am a pain in the ass. Friends forgive me when I am a pain in the ass. A friend does not hold grudges. A friend knows when I need a hug and when I need space. A friend is honest. Friends do not give an f—- if I wear sweatpants out to dinner. A friend shares half of their cookie even if they want the whole thing to themselves. A friend makes me feel safe when I am afraid. A friend knows how to make me laugh when I am sad. Friendships that blossom out of authenticity, mutual respect and admiration give me the most joy. The friends who get each other's quirks and embrace the flaws with unconditional acceptance and pride are keepers!
Kara:
Different people serve different purposes in our lives and there’s no one person who can satisfy every facet of our multidimensional selves. There are those unicorns who come very close (and you must keep them very close!) but that’s why friends exist. They are the people who bring out our best selves and can serve as a mirror when we’re being not-so-awesome. I always thought “friendship” was such a vague term for how differently varying types of friends feed your soul but your friends, in all their types, are an illustration of different parts of your life. They’re extensions of yourself, brought into your life to teach, embolden, enliven and energize. But this isn’t just a one way street--friendship exists so you can do the same for that other person. It’s a symbiotic flow of fundamental understanding. And after all this description and explaining, I’m now coming to understand that, as with most love relationships, there’s always that indescribable, unexplainable part. The magic that is love.
We are over the moon about this opportunity to give this gift of love to you all. We look forward to seeing those of you who follow us already and making some new friends along the way.
See you throughout the month, lovers!
xo K & J xo
This post was a collaborative effort by Jessi & Kara xo
