You know how you sometimes look back on past relationships and wonder to yourself, “What in the world was I thinking?” Yeah, well I do that a lot. But I never really understood impact that some previous relationships had made on my existence until I encountered people who were willing to give me everything the other person so terribly failed to.
I met a guy who was the complete opposite of my ex-boyfriend: warm, sweet, verbally affectionate…you get the picture. Not that my ex was a bad guy, he just really wasn’t good at making another person feel loved, wanted, or even needed. And despite my constantly defending him, the truth was that his coldness towards our relationship had left me scarred. Even worse, I didn’t realize just how badly I had been messed up until this new guy treated me differently. Of course, I acted the way any normal girl would: I panicked. Why was he being so nice to me? What have I done to deserve this? Surely he can’t be for real. Keep your distance, this guy is trouble.
I immediately began to pull away for fear that I would wound up even more hurt than before. After some persistence on this guy’s part, I started to understand that maybe people actually were able and willing to treat people with respect. Having never experienced it before, I assumed the worst in someone who was being nothing but open and kind.
Sometimes we don’t realize just how toxic a relationship is until we’ve gotten out, and we’re left looking back at those parts of our lives with negativity. This goes for friendships, too. Granted, not everyone you meet is going to treat you nicely, but I think we all need to be strong enough to realize that the people we hold close need to. You should never let another person’s behavior dictate how much respect you think you deserve. If another person isn’t delivering that amount, be kind to yourself and get out. Know that you can do better, and that there are people out there who know how to treat others. Collegiettes are smart, beautiful, and strong, and deserve to feel that way all the time.
Photo Sources:
http://www.reginele.ro/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/sa-ii-devin-amanta.jpg
http://www.relationshiprocketscience.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Relationship.jpg
http://www.smashinglists.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Making-up-after-…