best lessons learned: #1

growing up and figuring it all out, we learn some valuable life lessons. one of the best ones i've come to know as a really really good one is "don't burn any bridges." i've never been one to hold grudges. i watched my grandmother get so mad a various people in her life that she'd never speak to them again (usually over something really stupid)...one of which was her daughter. i can't imagine bringing a child into the world and then never speaking to them again! it's absurd really. so i think from seeing her do this to herself, i learned i never wanted to be that person.

don't get me wrong, if someone really gets to me, i have no problem weeding them out of the immediate circle. no need to spend time and stress over someone that is a crappy friend. BUT, let me stress that not burning bridges over the years has proven much more stress-free in the long haul. latest example... my old roommate josh. we lived together for 5 years in LA. 5 years!! that's a long time to spend with one person, knowing each other as intimately as you can without actually ever taking clothes off. the end of our journey together was not great. many fights ensued, complete with arguments over money to washing the dishes to criticisms over how we each choose to live our lives. the eventual "break-up" could have been bad, but we took the friendly path. i wasn't sure if we'd stay in touch, but how could you not after all those years?

today proved to be a good sign of doing the right thing in not burning that bridge. i saw josh in ichat and started a little conversation. we got right into what we always talked about...relationships. he had some great advice (surprisingly enough...guess i should have listened to him more in the past). AND, he's not giving me grief about the money he owes me! thought that would take more prodding. i'm gonna see him and the cat we got together this weekend. and i'm actually looking forward to it. who knew?

other excellent examples have been work situations. every single job that i've hated and left, has always been on a good note. and you know what... most all of those former employers have either given me great recommendations or gotten me my next job.
just goes to show.