Let go of them, they say, with a tinge of judgement in their eyes for you having a heart that’s soft, nostalgic, and glowing with second chances. These people have hurt you too many times to let them back in, but there’s a part of you that’s a little too lenient, a little too forgiving, a little too reliant on giving those second, third, and fourth chances.

But letting go of someone is not always that simple, as much as we’d like it to be, and it’s those who have been hurt time and time again that hold onto hope like a stream of light in the darkest of rooms. We cross our fingers that those who have let us down can change and will change, and there is a part of us that prays for the almost impossible—that they can change for us.

But there comes a very somber realization that we cannot change anyone and the colors they’re showing are simply who they are. Taking off the rose-colored glasses slaps us in the face with a reality we just may not be ready for. And in most times, it’s long overdue.

But I’ve taken the glasses off. And I’m not placing them on the top of my head to flick down when I’m lonely or curious.

I’m stepping on the lens; I’m completely shattering them.

No more do I have the patience to wait around for some people to mould to my expectations. No more do I have the energy to cling to them, even lightly. I will not beg anybody to stay. I will not ask anybody to change. I am closing the door to the type of person I usually sought comfort in: the unavailable, charming, hot and cold soul with agendas and confusion flowing through their veins. I am in search of people just like me: those with fire in their eyes, kindness on their face who live with warmth and character unapologetically. I am moving onto bigger and better things, leaving behind everything that no longer serves me.

There comes a time when you realize just how valuable your time is and how you don’t wish for it to be wasted with those wanting to waste yours. You have a fantastic life ahead of you filled with new adventures, new people, and new perspectives, and you should embrace the day it finally shifts. Don’t hold back from it. Dive into it head first because you are not starting from scratch, you are starting from experience.

Now the door’s closed. I’m moving on from those who have dragged me down and drained me for so many years.

From me to me, that’s my greatest gift.