His sister's keeper.

This is RP and I. It's safe to assume that I'm more than likely cracking a joke or ranting about something, and he's probably calming me down or matching my wit. Either way, this picture describes the essence of our friendship. 

I'm not quite sure how I end up lucking up in the friend department, but I always seem to. I'm not really into superficial friendships, so i appreciate a  strong, genuine bond. It's a satisfying feeling to clearly know someone's purpose in your life. It's even better when they uphold their purpose to the T. 

I called RP tonight. He was halfway asleep, so I offered to talk later; he insisted we talk tonight. I was relieved, because I needed to pick his brain. 

We skipped small talk this time and I immediately asked, "How do I know when to draw the line between being humble and being prideful?" 

He asked for examples, so I explained to him how I feel like I've been too humble and susceptible to other people's personalities and opinions to the point where it's making me question my own validity. I explained to him that I'm afraid that I'm becoming so gullible that I'm forgetting how to stand on my own foundation. I even admitted to struggling to express myself artistically. I have been writing a lot of poetry lately, but I'm so hesitant to share it. 

"RP, when do stop being humble and start being proud?!"

He listened without interruption until I finished hashing it out. Then, he explained that if my core reason for being humble or prideful derived from fear then I should fight against it. 

He asked. "Are you not sharing your art out of fear? Are you being so open to others people's opinions because you fear you're not confident in your own belief system?" 

Ouch! Hearing the truth hurt. I had no choice but to bite my lip and be quiet. I knew (we knew) that fear was the root of it all.

He went on to encourage me to continue to work on bettering myself and to do the things that are becoming of the woman I was placed in this universe to be. He reminded me to take care of myself. He said when we take care of ourselves, we do everyone in our life a favor. Lastly, he assured me if I focus my energy on God and make that relationship my main priority, I wouldn't have much energy left to pay attention to these complex questions of mine. 

I get it, RP. Boy, do I get it! 

I love you to peace,

Ebony Ross