Raising the rent

I couldn't agree with this more. People are constantly coming in and out of our lives. Friends come and friends go for a wide variety of reasons. People grow together and sometimes they grow apart, it's not right or wrong, it just is.

For me personally, I know fate brought some people in to my life to fulfill a need and when that need was satisfied, they left my life. I am so thankful for those people in those times. They helped me get through some really low points, I don't know how I would have made it through without them.

Fate has brought others in to my life that just belong. I have a dear friend who I met in junior high school, but lost touch with after graduation, for whatever reason, probably some stupid teenage drama. A few years ago, we reconnected via Facebook and even though we hadn't seen each other in almost 20 years, we picked our friendship up, right where we left off. She and I are two peas in a pod and meant to be together. We drifted apart once, I'll never let that happen again. I can't imagine my life without her. 

One thing that I struggle with is letting people go that are causing me harm or unhappiness. I found this saying yesterday and I am going to repeat it every day:

I am a loving, loyal friend, who will do anything for those I love. Unfortunately, some people just don't appreciate that about me. I am not a door mat. I deserve friends to treat me the way I treat them. As much as I hate to raise the rent and kick people out, if they aren't treating me with the love and respect I deserve, they need to go. I do not make this decision lightly, I will worry and second guess my choice for days and weeks. If you really care about me, you'll respect my decision and let me go or you'll work 100 times harder to earn my friendship back. Either way, I did what was best for me, not because I don't love you and value your friendship, but because I choose to love myself and to not grow to hate and resent you for all the love and respect I lavish on you and don't get in return.