Sometimes You Have to Walk Away
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For yourself
As sad as that sounds and as upsetting a prospect as it might be, sometimes the only thing you can do in a relationship is walk away. And I mean any kind of relationship, friends or romantic. Sometimes it is just what is best for you and in many ways, them too.
I used to think that a toxic relationship meant that one person was terrible, and the other was good — sort of like the way we imagine a domestically violent relationship. In our minds, there is one person who is the bully, who is causing the grief, and another who is being victimised, who is suffering because of the actions of the other. But that is not always the case, and it surely isn’t the case in toxic relationships. Sometimes, they just fall apart.
But It Didn’t Start This Way
No. It didn’t. Anyone who has had any kind of relationship will know there is this sort of euphoric part to it. In friendships as well. You’re both on your best behaviour, and both are trying to learn about each other. So it becomes exciting, like an exploratory adventure you take together — take inside each other’s lives.
But bleach on its own isn’t toxic as such. I mean, it is if you drink it, but to use it as a cleaning agent, it is pretty much okay. Vinegar on its own isn’t really toxic unless you’re about to drink that neat too. It is fine added to salad dressings, stir-fry’s, or even sprinkled on your chips (fries), especially if you’re from the United Kingdom. The problem happens if you mix the bleach and the vinegar. The combination gives you chlorine gas — a highly toxic gas when inhaled that attacks your skin and your respiratory system and can be fatal.
Why am I talking about bleach and vinegar? Well, like people, they can be fine on their own, but mix them, and you have a toxic problem. Relationships can turn poisonous, and it isn’t that one of them is inherently bad, it is just the combination of the two leads for a toxic environment.
The New Year Always Makes us Think
Or at least it does for me. I know it is just another day. Wednesday was no different to Tuesday, and the year only changes a number, but it does feel like there is an internal shift with things. Like somehow with the new…
