There comes a certain time in any relationship, whether it's personal, intimate, professional, etc., where you have to decide how much of yourself you are willing to give. Every one of these relationships has an important impact on your life, on your future. It is then that you need to discover whether or not you are willing to give all of yourself. Once you have come to this, you need to realize there is a point of too much, a point of no return, if you will; a point in which you start giving so much, too much that you can no longer pull back the pieces as your own.
If you're like me, giving and being there is your love language. You need a ride at 3 a.m.? Call me. You need help studying for your hardest final? You got it. Your boyfriend broke up with you, and you need a tub of ice cream and 'Pretty Woman?' On my way. I'm the girl you call when you feel like you're alone and you need someone to remind you that we are all here. I'm the girl that will randomly show up with your favorite cookies because I saw all your subtweets and they made me worried. I'm the girl that will write your paper outline for you when you feel like your brain is going to explode. I do what I can to make it all easier. I do what I can to remind you how much you matter to me. I may be a brat and high maintenance, but if you are in a desperate need for anything, if your heart aches or you are just so confused your not sure which way is left, I will drop everything in a matter of seconds.
If you're like me, you know about the hurt. You know what it's like to give and give, and to never get anything in return. You know about the forgotten thank yous or misplaced beliefs. You know about the ups and downs because your expectations are too high for your own good. I didn't know how far I would go until freshman year of college, when I was stretched so thin across every possible platform in my life that I thought at any moment, one small breeze would send me spiraling into utter catastrophic madness. It wasn't until I realized how much of myself I had given away to those who didn't deserve it that it was time to implement boundaries so my heart would learn what it felt like to be happy and not to suffer.
It seems that moments like these tend to happen to us all, as unfortunate as it may be. You have to decide how far you are willing to go, how much you are willing to push the limits of your being for those you love before you can longer pull back the pieces you didn't no had a no return policy. It is selfish of others to ask of you to give so much, but we are only human and you probably do the same without even realizing it. Know yourself. Know how much you can hand over before you begin losing yourself. You matter just as much as those in which you place your heart in their hands. Self love is just as important as compassion and sympathy; it's just as essential as selflessness. Drawing lines is not being rude or hateful or unkind, it is being aware of the limitations and implications of your own person.
