We tell ourselves, “love is unconditional.” We say, “take me as I am and love me warts and all.” These statements have been twisted by a lot of badly behaved people and unfortunately, it is the person at the receiving end of such unbalanced love that suffers the most. We are all flawed in one way or the other and there is no perfect person. And a loving relationship is not about two perfect people.
That said, the hallmark of love is kindness. So if they’re showing you toxicity and set out to maliciously hurt you one minute and they’re all sweet the next, that is not what love is. If all you’re doing is giving and investing yourself, yet there is little or no reciprocity, that is not love.
To give love, you have to love yourself enough to know when you’re being treated shabbily. How can you give from an empty tank? You will run down.
Be deliberate and intentional in love especially romantic love. It is not selfish to love yourself enough to stay far away from those that shroud toxicity with their warped version of love.
Don’t be in the group of people that fall hopelessly in love without opening your eyes to the signs that were staring at you right from the beginning. And if you fall into that group, it is never too late to retrace your steps. We have only this chance at life. Don’t spend your whole life in an emotionally exhausting relationship that will leave pain and regret in its wake.