Friends

I had an experience yesterday that made me question a friend. I thought that maybe one of my friends was not as true as I has always assumed. Maybe his aloofness has always made me try too hard and assume things that were not actually there.

During the mental gymnastics of thinking about whether this person was a true friend, I was forced to compare his actions and attitude to the actions and attitude of others friends. The stunning realization I had was that I have some great friends who are putting it all out there for me and I am sometimes being the aloof one, taking them for granted and playing coy with their support and friendship. I am often chasing the next great thing without fully appreciating those around me.

I am going to thank each and every one of them the next time I see them and try to be my true self with them every chance I get.

IBEX Payroll extends our profound respect and immeasurable gratitude to all the ancestors and keepers of the land on whose traditional territories our work takes place. We acknowledge that we are on Treaty 1 territory, the traditional gathering place of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene people and the traditional homeland of the Métis people. This land is sacred, historical, and significant.

Every time we acknowledge this truth, we have an invitation and an opportunity to reflect on the wrongs of the past, what we do in the present, and what we can do to continually honour the people whose lands and water we benefit from today.

This statement only acts as a first step in honouring the land we reside on and its peoples, and must be paired with education, understanding and informed action.