Someone once told me that I'm treated exceptionally well by my friends. And it's true. From the love and care I receive, in all of the beautiful ways in which people so choose to express, each day I am left awestruck and humbled.
The reason for it is no mystery. I get so much love because I give so much. And as I've learned today, the result of being so open with other people can be amazingly positive, but it also leaves you open to a world of hurt. Listening to your story today got to me in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. It reminded me that the cruelty and disrespect people show you is always caused by a failing on their part, and probably not something you have provoked or even deserved. It's easily avoided, but doing so involves closing yourself off to the possibility of being hurt, which consequently prevents the good stuff from happening, too. And most people are capable of being so very cruel..
As much as I have wanted to simply close myself off after being hurt, I am constantly reminded of how important it is to love and be loved. The rewards are so much better; they're worth the possibility of future hurt. Because if other people can go through experiences even worse than mine and still choose to love, then so can I.