Knowing people and holding on to relationships for years can be beyond rewarding, there’s nothing better than staying close to the people who you have known and stood by through all of the twists and turns of life.
It’s amazing to look back and realize the changes the people in your life have made that have brought them to the person they are today but sometimes those changes aren’t always for the best and you have to decide if the friendship is worth the pain you go through by being a part of their misdirections.
It’s hard to have to reevaluate relationships that have been so central to who you are for so long, it’s especially hard to ask the question “Is it really time for me to leave this person behind?” There’s only so much you can do; you can show them how their changes have hurt you and the other people who have their best interest at heart and you can tell them all the negative effects of their choices but sometimes that’s still not enough.
Some people still have a lot of maturing to do and no matter how hard you try, you can’t be the push to get them there. Sometimes it's really up to the person to see beyond their choices and differentiate between what is okay and what is actually right.
The thing to remember though is that it’s not your responsibility to suffer or stress because of their choices, you can hope that they will realize it’s wrong eventually, but you can’t waste your life waiting for that to happen.
You have to realize that their unhealthy decisions should solely effect them and if they are affecting you or your idea of how or who you want to surround yourself with in the future, it’s ok to focus on your other friendships or things in your life.
You can care about a person so deeply but that doesn’t mean that it’s right to stick around and chain yourself to their toxic decisions or that their the right person to have as a part of your life right now.
It’s ok to outgrow someone, some people just aren’t moving in the same direction as you anymore. Just don’t let those people continue to stunt your growth if you’re ready to focus and strengthen as a person, don’t let their weaknesses become yours. You shouldn’t feel guilty about leaving someone in the past especially when your memories of the person are better than the person they are now, whether that be in their choices or in the way they treat you.
In life, we have so many transitions from high school to college, from one job to the next, from one location to another and it’s ok if not everyone is there or right for the long haul.
The benefit is that just because you choose to take a step back, doesn’t mean you have to close the door for good and if by some chance you’re both at the same spot in life again and ready to start working on your friendship, you’ll still have all of your amazing memories that haven’t been tarnished by staying friends when you were going separate directions.
