I saw this quote (see photo) from my social media newsfeed today, and I thought “Of course! Of course they will.” Most people will want to present themselves in a good light, sometimes at the cost of putting down someone else. It makes them feel good to look good. Sorry… rather, it makes us feel good to look good.

But here’s the thing. You really cannot completely cut off someone who has figured prominently or contributed significantly in your life. You can choose never to see that person again perhaps or talk to him/her ever again, but there are people whom we are linked to that it’s kind of impossible to get unstuck from them, even if you distance yourself from them and go to the moon.

If they have influenced you in some way or made you realize some things – taught you to be more independent, to see your own worth, shown you how or what abuse looks like, made you realize what you don’t want, made you more humble, patient, understanding, empathic, courageous – if you have decided something about how to live life from that experience with that person, then a part of you has been touched by them, and so “cutting” them from your life is like cutting a part of yourself too — the part that has been influenced by them.