A Thing of Value

When we first touch a thing of value—
A glass, a mirror, a jewel, a flower—
We are careful, gentle, hesitant.
We fear we might drop it break it;
We worry we will cause it harm
And it will lose its value.
But over time, as we handle it more,
As we recognize its strengths,
We feel freer to touch
With less care, less fear.
Over time we become confident
In the durability of this good
And we find some small joy
In no longer feeling the need to fret.
Until the day when our confidence
Somehow becomes overconfidence
And our overconfidence
Somehow becomes recklessness.
We break what was once durable,
What was once fragile.
And we lose this thing of value.
So, too, it seems, with our friendships.
So, too, it seems, with our hearts.