Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying it’s hard to be my friend, but instead, I have (some would argue FINALLY) realized I matter and my heart matters. Being the easy friend often made me sad, lonely, and, quite frankly, questioning whether I really had the friendships I thought I did. You know the ones I’m talking about: the friendships that matter–that come from a place of risk and trust and vulnerability that cannot happen in a vaccuum or in isolation.