Considering interdependence and mutual support as frameworks, how do you navigate personal
change while ensuring the stability of your relationships?
I'm not necessarily sold on the stability of relationships. That's nuanced, because I think
healthy relationships are important and the best ones are stable. Perhaps it's better said that
I'm not sold on the permanence of relationships. I'm in constant flux, and so is the person I'm
in relationship with, which means the relationship is also in constant flux. That being the
case, the relationship is just the thing we label two people coming together for mutual support
and growth. But if those two people in their becoming are no longer serving each other, but are
in fact a detriment to each other, then perhaps what would be healthiest for them both is to
dissolve the relationship. This isn't to be done flippantly, it's a choice made after much
consideration, because it hurts to end a relationship. A part of you is lost in it. However, a
part of you is also lost if you remain in a relationship in which you're not able to be who you
are or who you're becoming. So in this case, a part of you is lost either way, so one must
consider which part is better to lose. It's a tough decision, but a necessary one. I suppose I
see a relationship like this. We're all on a journey we call life, and we're going on it alone.
However, in our journey, we often find ourselves on the same path as others, and we can enjoy
each other and learn from each while on a shared path. For some people, we're on the path for a
day, others a month, others a few years, and for a rare few, we may find we were on the same
path for a lifetime. But, it's still our journey, and sometimes, to be true to our journey,
those paths must diverge. And although we can miss the person we once walked the path with, and
remember our time together, ultimately, we must walk our journey, and that may mean some
relationships served their purpose in your life and will eventually end, and I've found a peace
in accepting that.