A psychologist wrote in a book, “Even if you are an angel, there will be people who will be disturbed by the sound of your wings.” – He used this phrase to make clear that other people’s perceptions and emotions have nothing to do with you. The thoughts of others do not define your worth. You will meet many people who will try to project their own insecurities onto you and there is a risk that you will accept the image of others. To protect yourself, you must internalize that others don’t even have the ability to define you. They are unable to see inside you. And their perception of you is nothing but a sign of their own qualities. Even if you are good, there will always be people who say otherwise; but you are not a reflection of others.
I really feel tremendous grief for friendships that kind of petered away in the face of life’s currents. There are people with whom I formed deep, unique, vibrant, life-changing connections, and then we had to go our separate ways and it was too hard to maintain long-distance. There wasn’t a fight, it just sort of faded. And I feel like I have more friendships like this than friendships that have endured, so maybe I just have to get used to it. But if grief is all the love we have left over - well, I never did get to finish loving them. I love them, and I miss them, and I probably always will.
ALT
