The Shattering of Rose-Tinted Glasses
The madness of mandating happiness
Going down the wrong road, again, my frustration went from a simmer to a boil. All the breathing exercises I had heard about were not doing anything to temper this bubbling feeling, as I anticipated another wrong turn. This car ride needed to be over, this day needed to be over, and I wanted this friendship to be over. Getting out of the car, he waved back as if we had had the time of our lives, but as I waved back, I was actually saying goodbye.
Losing a friend is always a difficult thing, and it always will be. The heartache it can cause can rival that of romantic partners or the estrangement of a family member. They are often the quieter forces in our lives, that help make all the other ones run, but when they’re over you can feel that power shifting under your feet. The tectonic plates rearranging in aggravation of lives parting, when previously they were once a magnificent Pangea of support, and comradery. I had experienced the earthquake of friend shakeups in the past, but this one, I had decided to cause myself.
This is my story about how toxic positivity ruined one of the best friendships I ever had. It may not make me look good, and it certainly isn’t a singular story to tell, but it is something that exists, and contrary to actual positivity itself, can be quite…
