Wys my jou vriende, en ek vertel jou hoe lyk jou toekoms. Ek het iewers, lank gelede, hierdie gesegde gehoor en maar altyd so stilletjies daaroor gelag. Gelag ja, want in daardie stadium in my lewe het die vriende, wat deel was van my lewe, nogal die vermo\u00eb gehad om my te laat wonder of my toekoms saam met hulle nie gedoem was om in \u2019n ramp te ontaard nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Die dae, nagte en naweke van eindelose plesier het daartoe gelei dat die behoefte aan behoort en kameraadskap ordentlik gevoed word. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ons was almal maar jonk en onskuldig; op soek na die ware betekenis van die lewe \u2013 saam met mekaar; weg van mekaar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Daar was die oomblikke van uitbundige vreugde, maar ook die oomblikke van twyfel of die pad waarop jy jouself bevind \u2013 saam met die groep waarmee jy die reis deel \u2013 die moeite werd is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dit was die reis na \u2019n seestad en \u2019n woestynstad wat die ankers na die grootmensw\u00eareld behoorlik vasgel\u00ea het. In die aangesig van verpletterende tweespalt in die vriendskap, aangevuur deur menslike onwysheid, het ek gesien en beleef wat ek nie wou wees nie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Op hierdie einste reis het ek egter ook tussen alles deur die stem gehoor en die hart gevoel wat stilweg bevestig het dat alles orraait is en dat ek die toets van die tyd sal deurstaan. As ek nou terugkyk, glimlag ek steeds, want die toets en die tyd het sy doel gedien.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
En vandag, jare hierna, staan ek in verwondering oor hoe die einste toets en tyd uiteindelik uitgespeel het. Die gewildheid, vrolike samesyn en kameraadskap is verby, want die lewe staan nie stil nie. \u2019n Hunkering na d\u00edt wat eens was, bestaan gewis ook nie meer nie \u2013 wel die lesse geleer, wat uiteindelik die mens en persoonlikheid wat ek vandag is, sal definieer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nuwe vriende en veral kennisse het intussen hul opwagting gemaak. Die skep van nuwe oomblikke en herinneringe kry nou voorkeur. Met die skep van nuwe oomblikke en herinneringe bestaan ook altyd die moontlikheid dat \u2019n verhouding of vriendskap in die slag kan bly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dis egter my voortdurende wonder oor wat die diepte van \u2019n gehaltevriendskap inhou, wat my uiteindelik tot die besef laat kom het dat onrealistiese verwagtinge van die een en die ander nie geskep moet word nie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dis in ons wees en vry wees dat ons die uniekheid in die ander kan raaksien, geniet en waardeer. Dis juis hierdie ontdekking wat my met nuwe o\u00eb laat kyk na die mense wat deesdae oor my pad kom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elkeen van hierdie mense sal nie noodwendig deel wees van my binnesirkel-vriende nie, maar dit beteken gewis nie dat hulle nie vir my belangrik is nie. Noem my dan maar \u2019n \u201cvriend van die w\u00eareld\u201d, want daarmee sal ek kan saamleef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Solank ek ietsie van die mooi van hierdie lewe met \u2019n vriend of vreemdeling kan deel, sal dit my innerlike vrede en vreugde verskaf. Gelukkig het ons deesdae soveel platforms waarop ek hierdie omgee en liefde vir my medemens kan deel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maar weg van die massas het my binnesirkel-vriende aansienlik minder begin raak. Ek kan hulle letterlik op my een hand tel. Daai vriende, wat jy in die middel van die nag kan bel as dit nie te wel gaan nie; vir wie die stilstes by \u2019n kuier nie steurend is of raak nie; want daar is \u2019n rustige verstaan en aanvaarding geanker in onvoorwaardelike liefde.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dis ook daai vriendskap waar afstand glad nie \u2019n faktor is nie, want ons harte het daai eerste dag van ontmoeting \u2019n verbintenis gemaak wat ewige moontlikhede inhou. My twee vriende, een in Suid-Oos-Asi\u00eb en die ander in ons buurland Namibi\u00eb, se daarwees en verbintenis strek oor dekades. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ons is nie elke dag in kontak nie. Tog is die weer sien en hoor van mekaar altyd \u2019n bevestiging dat ons daar is en sal wees vir mekaar, en dat ons groot waarde heg aan dit wat ons vriendskap noem. So ook my vriend in Amerika en die een in Taiwan, maar ook die ander drie op eie bodem, en dit maak al weer die een hand van vriende vol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Familie is \u2019n gegewe en vir hulle is en sal daar altyd \u2019n voorkeurplek in my binnekring van vriende wees. Ek verkies dit vandag so \u2013 my klein intieme groepie vriende wat ek op die naam kan noem; hulle met wie ek \u2019n lang pad gestap het en die titel van ware vriende waardig is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tog sal ek nooit my vriende in my bre\u00ebr sirkel afskryf nie, want ons herinner mekaar daaraan dat ons mekaar dalk iewers op hierdie lewenspad kan nodig kry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wie is die vriende in jou binnekring?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bly hoop en glo.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":58380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"d3d9a281-f5af-4252-a678-30ffdce1e9e5","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_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