Trust me.

Trust is the father of risk. I don't know if that's an actual quote. It could be, though, it's got all the right parts. It's short, punchy, colorful, relative, and personified. It also has a subject that is universal. Whether it is accurate remains to be seen

Everyone deals with issues of trust. Who does one trust, how does one gain trust, when is trust broken? Questions that are always different in every circumstances.. Is like a river, always the same, always different.

There are a few people I truly trust, I have known them and believe that they are not out to do me harm. There are a few people whom I do not trust... they have proven themselves to cause me harm in one way or another in the past and have no intentions of righting that harm. There is the vast majority of people whom I do not either trust or distrust, some of whom I have interacted with, some of whom I don't even know exist.

I like to think of myself as a risk-taker. In Tarot, I am almost always 0 The Fool, ready to jump blindly into the next situation, knowing full well that there will be perils and pleasure. For me to take a risk, I must first feel confident that the reason for taking the risk is beneficial. Why take a risk if there is no chance for gain? If there is something to gain, take the risk. If there's nothing to gain, skip it, it's not worth your while. But for the unknown benefits... that's where the trust comes in..

I trust my friend Rammy. When I met him the other day, I took a certain risk, (which I shall not reveal) and he responded in a way that in itself was similarily risky, and I think we both benefitted.

So is trust the father of risk? I think perhaps it is not the father, but maybe, ummm.. a guardian, or an overseer of risk. The cultivator?

I talked to my friend at work the other day about friendship. I think I clarified friendship well enough for me, if there is doubt. A friend will listen to your problems, may or may not judge, may or may not try to solve. Doesn't matter. more importantly, will share his (or her) problems with you. That is how I am to gauge whether a person is a friend or not. If they listen to my problems, yet do not trust me enough to tell me theirs, there is some sort of agenda going on... If they tell me their problems yet don't listen to mine, they are attention vampires. A strong friendship has balance on both sides, whether is a minor friendship or a major one.

And that's what I have to say about that right now.