Protecting My Peace
There was a time in my life when I thought being a good person meant saying yes more often than I said no. I believed it meant giving everyone another chance, overlooking behaviors that hurt me, and doing everything I could to keep the peace, even if it came at the expense of my own. I spent a lot of years believing that if I was patient enough, understanding enough, or willing to explain myself one more time, difficult relationships would somehow become healthy ones. Sometimes they did, but more often than not, I simply became exhausted trying to carry relationships that were never balanced to begin with. Looking back now, I realize I wasn't protecting peace. I was protecting other people's comfort while quietly sacrificing my own. Life has a remarkable way of changing our priorities. The older I've become, the less interested I am in drama, competition, or relationships that constantly leave me questioning where I stand. I no longer have the emotional energy to decipher m...