FOR GRANTED

I feel compelled to write this - but I'm not sure it'll come out the way I want it to. So bear with me...

I have this friend (no, really - it's not me) and over the past 6 months or so, we've been talking about the hardships of relationships. I suppose we've become quite close because of these talks; we've shared some intimate & revealing details about ourselves and those we loved. Lately, the person my friend was dating (who did some unkind things) has been around more frequently - and I've realized that I don't like that person very much. I've never really been fond of that person. And I've always felt that they've not been too fond of me either.

So today I wondered: am I giving that person a fair shot? Or am I judging them because they've hurt my friend - in a way I know hurts very much, in a way that I wouldn't wish on anyone, in a way that doesn't break your heart so much as rips it in two.

And all of a sudden I feel fiercely protective of my friend. And I get angry that this person has the guts to come around and act as if everything is fine. And when I start to ponder why I feel this way... I think I'm more angry at them for not knowing, not cherishing this amazing gift they have before them. And instead, pulling my friend through the mud that cakes the road between past relationships and possible friendships ahead.