friendship, courtship, and just plain inescapable family

inchworm
Originally uploaded by kristalynn.

we let people into our lives in the hope that they'll make us better by, perhaps, teaching us things, making us laugh, or bringing us places we otherwise would not go.

this is why when we get into skirmishes or feel the need to be passive aggressive, we have these incredible one-liners that can pierce the heart and leave mouths gaping.

the low-blows. i've done it too. the kind of thing you IMMEDIATELY regret once you've said it, but can't help feeling smugly pleased at its effectiveness. but what does it bring you at the end of the day? how easy do you find looking in the mirror?

as i'm getting older, and quasi-wiser, it's becoming much easier to recognize the low blows. but it still remains difficult to brush off the effect.

i have a friend who can't get past what her mom once told her while giggling with a martini glass in one hand and a young boyfriend in the other. and i'll never forget my parting words to someone with whom i was once in love. i'm sure we all have that one statement that rears its ugliness when we least expect it.

it's funny how powerful negativity can be.