the lesson:

not everyone you love will stay

not everyone you trust will be loyal

some people only exist as examples of what to avoid

This was a hard lesson for me to learn but it was important to learn it. I’ve always had this idea in my head that everyone who comes into my life should stay forever. Because why else would they come into it in the first place? To just end up leaving? No way! Well actually, yes way. That is some people’s destiny in our lives.

My mom sent this to me when I was trying to deal with losing someone in my life. I don’t mean they passed away but their purpose in my life was over, and so they left. It was hard for me to actually wrap my head around that concept. What do you mean you’re walking away from me? Aren’t we supposed to fix the problems and keep on going? Can something so beautiful really have an end? Yes, it can. It seems cruel and unfair in the moment, but as time progresses- you get it. It just clicks. You know that old saying, “as one door closes another door opens” or something like that? It’s true. Sometimes, if you hang on to one thing, one person, you’re missing out something greater. We’re human and we’re afraid to let go. Change freaks us the hell out! But we must work through that. We should remove this concept of only having one soulmate.

Wait! Hold on! Don’t exit out of this article and stop reading. Hear me out for a second.

I believe there are different categories of soulmates. You have your friend soulmate (typically your best friend), you have your love soulmate (the person you choose to marry or spend the rest of your life with), and then the lesson soulmates. The lesson soulmates are exactly what they sound like- they teach you lessons. Like the picture above says, they may be in your life for a few minutes, or a few days or a few years. But their purpose is to teach you something that you won’t learn if they stay. And if you don’t learn it, your life will be drastically different- and not in a good way.

Don’t chase people. If they’re supposed to stay in your life, they will. With ease and without force. I understand that it isn’t easy when someone that you’ve invested something, anything in just up and leaves. You feel a sense of abandonment with a whopping side of confusion. I get that. Believe me, I do. But if we cherish them for all they were able to give us, then we didn’t lose anything. We gained knowledge and probably more. Instead of feeling empty, feel full. Instead of grieving, celebrate. Instead of crying, smile.

You aren’t any less of who you were with them, now that you’re without them.