Relationships

Every relationship is based on four qualities. First I will qualify the term relationship. Two people who have never met and two siblings that have spent their entire childhood together are each examples of relationships. One is a relationship of not knowing each other and the other is one of perhaps knowing too much (not sure if that is possible).

A relationship with a checkout clerk at an occasionally visited store is fleeting, not very deep yet it contains these four values. The relationship within a marriage is or should be a very deeply held relationship with each of the four qualities being as deep and wide as possible.

The four qualities? Trust, Respect, Affection and Compassion. Some try to add communication to these four making them count as five but try to have a conversation with someone, communicate with them, when one or more of these four are missing.

I have used these four qualities to understand and measure all of my relationships over the past 20 years. It works for me. I can usually find the broken leg and work on that one to improve the relationship in front of me.

What have you learned to deal with and understand your relationships?