The ties that bind... or not.

When is enough enough?

There's the "final straw" and the "nail in the coffin", but it's funny how sometimes "enough" just sneaks up on you. A friend of mine and I share an inside joke about how he loses interest in his personal projects very fast. He can burn with passion at the start of the project and then a week later it's... meh. It's pretty comical with him, but in regards to other areas of life, it's not.

Let's take friendships, for example. I would sacrifice all I could for a friend, but occasionally, there comes a time where the effort needed to sustain a relationship outweighs the benefits. Sounds clinical, I know. In marriage, you compromise and you constantly meet each other half-way. It's a constant adjustment that takes work. With your soulmate, it's all worthwhile. With friends, it's a bit more complicated.

A friendship is a symbiotic relationship in which both people benefit - either from company, support, laughs, or just to have someone who understands you. But it's definitely a two way street. So what happens when the traffic starts to go all "one way"? That's when it gets complicated. Everyone's had an acquaintance that was "hard to be friends" with. Why would that be? Because you were getting less out of the relationship than what you putting in. It's just that simple. Doesn't that mean you're a "good friend" for sticking with them? Yes. But patience can only last so long. There are so many other things in life to worry about: family, health, etc. One's time and compassion are finite. So... we choose.

And sometimes we choose to let go.