Most of you know I lost my beloved cat, Lily of 17 years last month. Absolutely devastated. She was my baby, my shadow. In times of sadness and adversity, I’m mature enough now to determine who is really there for me and what relationships are simply superficial. I am personally excellent at checking in on people. I don’t know if it’s because I was an only child growing up and I craved that companionship. Almost like I always wanted to make an effort so the love would be returned to me. And I was lucky to have received that love from my mom, but I still yearned for it from others. Sometimes it was returned and sometimes not. I didn’t learn til later that some people just won’t feel the same about you no matter how hard you try. And that’s ok. It’s not for you. Through the years, I’ve filtered many people from my life who I didn’t feel were really a true friend, or made me feel sad. And even some distant family members. Blood is no exception. I don’t mean to say I want a relationship to be tit for tat, but it is not ok for it to always be one-sided or negative in tone constantly. Life is too short to be surrounded by unpleasant vibes. And if you feel you’re putting more into it and not receiving any care back, it’s time to move on. I can’t buy the excuse about someone being too busy. A check in takes a few seconds at minimum. Even if it’s a simple text to say “hey, how are you?” Or “was just thinking about you and hope you’re having a good day.” It may not seem like much effort, but to the other person, it is. Words matter. Take the time to show the ones you love you’re there and support them in the good and bad times. 🙂