*People WILL hurt you. Some will do it unintentionally; determining the level of hurt and how to proceed can be daunting. Forgive when you can; but keep the lesson, always.
*Sometimes you can't forgive people--even when you want to. That's okay, too. Maybe sometimes it just isn't an option.
*Never trust a person that hurts animals. This would seem simple enough and to be common sense, but oddly, it isn't.
*Don't be afraid of people that are different than you. Be it color, religion, country of origin, political alignment, life paths, financial status, age, educational level, or anything else--be open to differences--your mind may grow and you will meet some amazing individuals.
*Don't betray those that have supported you and carried you through your own dark times--those friends are worth their weight in gold and are exceedingly rare in life.
*Many people will openly hurt those that care about them in pursuit of their own goals--be it status, financial gain, popularity--yes, even the ones that you believed would never hurt you.
*People will lie to you. Some for no other reason than they can.
*People you trusted 100% will lie to you. Some for no other reason than they can.
*If you expect others to be there for you, but don't ever return the favor when they need you, do not be shocked when that door closes. It very well may eventually happen.
*Not all people read minds. When you are hurt, need help, or just need someone to listen--you do need to reach out and let others know. We cannot expect others to just guess and be there. That would be great, but we hurt ourselves by expecting so much. SIDE NOTE: Needing help is not a weakness--it is part of being human--reach out.
*Family/blood doesn't mean you have to keep ANYONE in your life. If they hurt you, lie to you, or intentionally try to break you--by all means, toss them to the curb. No matter WHO they are.
*Betrayal by family, friends, and those we love and trust stings deeply. Sometimes they don't mean to hurt us but still do. Sometimes they believe that they had our best interests at heart and were not capable of foreseeing that they would deeply hurt us. Sometimes they just didn't think before acting or speaking. Only you can determine if the betrayal is forgivable or not.
*We are rarely, if ever, truly alone. Even in our darkest moments, if we reach out, there will almost always be a hand willing to grab ours. Sometimes from the most unexpected directions and sometimes we will be surprised by who reaches out to help.
*By the same token, we will have times when we end up horribly surprised to find that those that we counted on 100% will run during our tough times. Sometimes we even discover later that they were intentionally causing our rough times without our knowledge. By all means, let those folks go, as well. They aren't worth keeping and will most likely keep hurting you, either way.
*People that gossip to you, and share their other friends' secrets with you, will absolutely do the same to you. Never believe for one moment that they will not. Keep them as friends, if you must, but always proceed with extreme caution (and do NOT, for any reason, EVER tell them anything that you would want kept private--only discuss topics your worst enemy could know, too).
*People you loved, trusted, believed in, and supported will still break your heart. Some won't mean to and will try to make amends; some will become defensive that you were hurt and will try to convince you that your feelings are wrong; some just simply never gave the same fuck that you did (sorry for the language, a polite way to say it simply did not come to mind).
*Despite all of this, if you keep your heart and mind open, you will still meet people that make all of the other heartbreaks and betrayals worth it. Treasure them and always let them know how you feel. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
