One Way Streets

I'm find as time goes on that I h ave a tendency to be a bit of an enabler; that is, I enable people to make a one way street from our friendship. You see, my mom and I, and I"m sure other people too, but I learned it from my mom, have this analogy (not the word I'm looking for, I know) about friendships and streets.

Friendship ought to be a two way street, with both people giving and taking equally. Now obviously, there are times when one friend needs the other more, or takes more, but eventually it gives out. I'm not saying it needs to be exactly even all the time, because that's never going to happen, and that's not how friendship works. Friendship expects little in return, and you do it strictly because you care about the other person.

However, I have a tendency to let people make one way streets out of our friendship. And it's basically always a one way street in which I am the one moving. I am always striving to be closer, initiating the conversation, making all the effort to keep in touch. One way streets where I'm the only one who's there for the other person when I know they wouldn't be there for me.

I allow myself to be an enabler. I end up getting used. Or I end up getting blown off, because I get paranoid and then I get clingy. Or maybe it's just because they don't feel a need to make an effort to maintain the relationship because they know I'll be there anyway, whether they maintain or not.

Either way, I am an enabler, I get myself into one way street friendships, and it needs to stop, because I just find it totally irritating. The end. =]

xoxo,
Me <3