As we walk along our paths in life, we will encounter several forms of friendships. There will be friends of convenience, friends by association, and friends of the heart. Friends out of convenience are friendships that you might have simply because you both are accessible to one another. These friendships are common in a work or school environment as people are united by place alone. You might even term these friendships as 'associates' instead of friends, because you associate with one another because you feel that you have to.

These types of friendships can easily disappear as quickly as they came or they can actually turn into more meaningful friendships as time moves on. Then there are friends by association, friendships that exist because of an association with another friend. You might acquire these forms of friendships because of your current friends. You acquire your friend's circle of companions and make them your own. These associations can lack strong foundations and even knowledge of one another, but either way, you respect them as a part of the friend that originated the encounter.

Then there are friendships that are few and far between, friends of the heart or friends of the spirit. You may find this form of friendship with, or in addition to, your significant other. This type of friendship is guided through a profound spiritual connection. They are very pronounced and spiritually ignited. They can overcome distance. They can surpass cultural and language barriers. They can surpass age and even gender.

They do not exist out of convenience or association. These friendships exist out of respect and purpose. This unity of beings connects our hearts to our souls. They remind us and encourage our greatness and contribute to our over all well-being. These friendships exist on the purest of levels. They are not sexually motivated. They do not even necessarily rely on the power of any physical contact. They exist on a level all of their own.

What these friendships do touch are our hearts. They leave precious imprints where they matter the most. These friendships are gifts unto themselves as they are aligned with our inner workings and details. They somehow give us comfort no matter what our state of mind and they seem to blanket our worries with little or no effort. They exist not out of force, but out of care.

These spiritual friendships allow us to actually feel the insides of another. They allow us that close of a connection that typically both people can feel the other's thoughts and emotions. We are attracted to them because we are intended to be. These friendships may baffle and surprise us as they can sneak up on us quickly, but they are friendships that need not go unnoticed and certainly not forgotten, for however long they are to stay.

Artist and inspirational author Meilena Hauslendale's work and articles are displayed internationally. She is the founder of Silence Speaks International Artist Association and the Editor of Intrigue Magazine. Published books include, 'Making Your Purpose Your Business' and 'Recognizing Unhealthy Relationships.' More info online.

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