Note to self:

Valerie,

I feel it necessary to write this so that you can see it in print and have something to remind you should you need reminding. I'm putting it in public so that you have no chance of refuting it later. I know it is hard, but it's for your own good.

I want you to remember that it is NOT okay to let your friends do things that hurt your feelings. You have fairly thick skin, and are quite forgiving, but that only emphasizes the fact that if it has hurt YOU, it was probably pretty wrong.

I know you love your friends in a way others do not, and that you have never been able to stop caring about people once you started to genuinely CARE. You have been an excellent judge of character for the majority of your life, and because of that it has not been necessary for you to "stop" a friendship very often, but sometimes people's character has some aspect of it that is not easy to see at first, and that you overlook, and then when you discover that that person doesn't have the qualities worthy of your love and caring, or that certain deficits in their character are harmful to you, it is too late for you to remove your affections.

If the flame of the stove will burn you, and you can't turn off the stove, you should keep your hands away from the stove... It is the only way. If you know that a friend can and will only harm you, and you can't turn off your caring for them, then you should remove your hand, and walk away from the friendship sticking around would be like hoping that the flame will die, or your skin will thicken before you've destroyed your hand.

Walk away.

Your ever-loving, analytical self,
Valerie

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