My Window Washing Friends

Posted in podcastTagged , , , , , , ,

“A friend accepts us as we are yet helps us to be what we should.” – anonymous

When we arrived at the place on the Whidbey Island beach that we are staying this week, the windows facing the water needed to be cleaned. Last year when we rented this place for vacation, I didn’t think to wash the windows until the end of the time we were there.

But in the spirit of live and learn, I remember this year on the second day we were here. Luckily, two of my dearest friends, Katie and Eric were with my kids and me on that day and we washed off the salt spray residue together.

I think window washing is one of my new favorite metaphors for friendship. Dear friends are the ones who you allow to see through the most transparent layer. They are the people who help wash your interior windows. Friends as the people who know when your outlook has gotten grimy and apply a good helping of elbow grease to clear it. And who you trust when they say, “Looks good!”

I could run this metaphor into the ground. But I’ll stop there and say how grateful I am for dear friends who make washing windows fun!

Because it’s a great segue to the podcast episode my dear friend, Vicki Atkinson and I did this week. Dr. Stein has become a great friend of the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast so it was so fitting that he came on to share revealing and delightful stories about friendship.

He tells of the three categories of friendship according to Aristotle. And we talk about the investment that it takes to build a platonic relationship with another.

Of course, with investments come payoffs. And Dr. Stein coaches us through how to think about that term when it comes to friendship.

In the course of any lasting relationship, apologies come into play. Dr. Stein tells us some wonderfully illustrative stories about apologies that help to get to the heart of apology.

I’m certain you’ll enjoy the scenic and beautiful places we go when we share the power of story.

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 78: The Blessings and Responsibilities of Friendship with Dr. Gerald Stein

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

(featured photo from Pexels)

Links for this episode:

About Friendship⁠ by Dr. Gerald Stein

⁠Becoming Close Friends: A Practical Guide ⁠⁠by Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

⁠Episode 78 post by Vicki Atkinson on Sharing the Heart of the Matter

Dr. Gerald Stein’s Blog: ⁠Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

Other podcast episodes with Dr. Stein:

⁠Episode 60: The Perils of Prediction with Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

⁠Episode 46: Being Your Own Best Friend With Dr. Gerald Stein – Part I⁠

⁠Episode 47: Being Your Own Best Friend With Dr. Gerald Stein – Part II⁠

⁠Episode 37: The Waiting Game with Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

⁠Episode 29: Accidental Philanthropists with Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

⁠Episode 20: The Art of the Interview with Dr. Gerald Stein⁠

From the Hosts:

Vicki’s recently released book: ⁠Surviving Sue⁠

Wynne’s book about her beloved father: ⁠Finding My Father’s Faith⁠

35 thoughts on “My Window Washing Friends”

  1. I love this metaphor, Wynne. A timely read as I’ve been pondering the various types of friendship and the layers within each one. I find apologies can be to friendship what Windex is to windows. The sooner applied, the better. Wait too long, and it takes more work to cut through the build-up. Happy weekend to you and your family. Enjoy the beach!

    Liked by 3 people

    2. The analogy resonated with me as well, especially since it carries forward: washing windows may not be fun, it may not be easy, many may prefer to just ignore the grime, or even assume that the natural state of affairs is … grimy. It’s a rare friend that will cheerfully help you clean your windows!

      Liked by 2 people

  2. Oh, I do love this metaphor, Wynne. How blessed we are when we have these window washing friends in our lives. 🙏 And the friends who can still see what’s inside through the dirty grimy exterior too.

    Your beach weekend locale also looked wonderful. Just soak up every bit of the summer. It’s flying by so fast this year.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Love this, Ab. The friends that can what’s inside through the grime! Yes!

      You’re right – summer is flying by! Hope you all have a great weekend!

      Like

  3. Cheers to friends who help us when we’ve got a ‘grimy outlook’. Geez Louise, yes! Thank you, Wynne, for being just that sort of friend. “Looks good!” Two fabulous words! 😎

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Thankful for your post, it was a good read and timely, too. This morning we awoke to find a heron perched on the bow of our boat and it gave my friend and I an opportunity to be curious while we started our morning together. After a bit of study and reference to Sibley’s, we figured it was a grey heron, but my wife joined us and after much debate it was decided it was a great blue heron. and that was how we began the morning. It was also the last day of our friend’s visit and we helped them pack up and bid them a farewell. We had a great time visiting with them and sharing laughs and our adventures at the lake. After they left, my wife reminded my the window cleaners were scheduled for the morning… I look forward to listening to the podcast on my way home next week. Thanks for helping me grow and making the days count. Peace.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. perfect pairing, the window washing and friendships – and dr. stein is right about friendships: how they happen, grow, look different, and what we give and take to them, having an impact, and how important they are to our lives.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. What a beautiful view! You reminded me of my childhood and our cabin in Robe on the Stillaguamish River. As soon as we arrived, my mom and dad and other relatives would wash the windows.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. So true Wynne. Thank you.

    I’ve somehow survived nearly 82 years primarily due to two things . . . God’s grace and a few special, trusted, “…sticketh closer than a brother”… friends with whom I can transparently share our life’s deepest struggles as we pray, cry, and rejoice together experiencing the precious healing in the release from finding you can’t heal what you hide.

    Be Blessed!

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Great post, Wynne, and the window metaphor was excellent. The podcast clip with Dr. Stein was so good. He’s right about a man saying “I love you” in a friendly way to another man. It’s so hard. I, for one, am working through that and purposefully telling my son every day that I love him. One reason is so he knows verbally that I do. I know he knows, but more importantly, so he can see that there is nothing wrong with a man expressing those feelings to another man in a friendly way.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Pingback: Photos of the Week: August 3 – Surprised By Joy

  15. I recently heard some ideas about strong friendships. These are the ones I remember…1 – If a friendship lasts longer than 7 years it will last a life time. 2 – Friendship is not about who you spend the most time with, it’s the one you have the best time with. 3 – A strong friendship doesn’t need daily contact. 4- Only a true friend will tell you to your face the things others are talking about behind your back. I so love your metaphor about window washing and friends who allow you to see through the most transparent layer. They wash your interior windows. So incredibly brilliant. Hugs, C. PS ~ I’ll check out the podcast. xxoo

    Like

  16. Pingback: Creatively Unwinding – Surprised By Joy

Comments are closed.