Sometimes, Loyalty Means Walking Away

“If I ever decide to give up on you, understand how much that took out of me. I’m the type to give endless chances, always have your back even when you’re wrong, and truly accept you for who you are. When the rest of the world doesn’t want you, I will. So if I decide to give up on you, understand it took everything I had left inside of me to leave you alone, to let you go. Because if I love you and care for you, there isn’t anything on the planet I won’t do for you.”

Loyalty is something that I take seriously. It's just in my nature. When I decide to be loyal to someone, it's a commitment. That's why I don't just agree to be everyone's friend. Because the more friends you have the harder it is to be there for everyone. That's why I don't just jump into relationships. Because my loyalty means my time, effort, trust, care, and my love.

The type of loyalty I'm talking about is the kind that's rarely found now-a-days. The kind everyone wants to find, but can't, because people always run when things get rough. The kind that everyone wants to receive, but no one gives. The all-in kind; when things get real. The kind that very few things could sway. A fierce loyalty to friends, family, and significant others alike. The kind that actually means something.

Care and loyalty go hand-in-hand. I open up my heart and hope I won’t get hurt. I have an big heart for the people that I really care about and love. It’s often so hard for me to let go of people or give up on them because I care so much. Because I always have hope for them. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. I hang on to that and I always stay a lot longer than I should. I let myself get hurt because I think it will be worth it, even though it never is. It’s hard to let the last chance be the last chance. It's hard for me to admit that I can't help them, because I want to. I can't save them. I don't want to give up. It's hard for me to just walk away...

"But, at some point, you have to love yourself enough to let the last chance be the last chance. You can't keep holding on to what used to be, praying a person's potential somehow develops into what you thought it would. You can love a person with everything in you but if the timing isn't right, it just won't work. You can't force it and you shouldn't have to. The love is still there. It just has to be from a distance now" –Rob Hill Sr.

For the people that have my loyalty, I'm the person that will stand there in the pouring rain waiting hours for you. I'll be there in the middle of the night when you need me. I'll be there through all the ups and downs, the rain and sunshine. All the laughs and the tears. The good and the bad. When everyone else says you’re not worth it, I’ll be standing by your side telling you that you are. When you're broken and in pieces, I'll be there picking them up and helping you put yourself back together. When all people see in you is darkness, I will see the light. And when you’re on the floor crying, I will be there to pick you up. And as long as there is an ounce of hope for you, I won’t leave. I don't just leave people especially when they need me the most. That's when you find out who's really loyal to you. Character is defined in the moments when no one is watching.

Loyalty is shown when everyone else disappears and life hits you like a hurricane.

It means that I’ll always be there when you need me and I will do my best not to let you down. I’ll be a consistent and reliable constant in your life. I will be faithful to you and take your side. I’ll see the best in you. It means that I won’t just give up on you or leave you if we have a fight or I get mad at you. It means that my care and love for you won’t just vanish overnight. Unfortunately, that's not something everyone appreciates. It's something most people take for granted. They don't appreciate the good ones until they're gone.

"The worst mistake you could make is to walk away from the person who actually stopped and waited for you when the whole world abandoned you.”

The thing I've learned is that loyal people have to protect ourselves, our hearts. We have to have limits to our loyalty because if we don't we will get hurt over and over. We will be taken advantage of again and again. Because the people we would do anything for won't always do the same for us. The people that we would never leave will leave us without thinking twice. The people that we would put first won't put us first. The people we would suffer and sacrifice for won't always do the same for us. And the people we value so highly don't value us at all.

Because we're loyal to people who don't know how to be loyal to us. They don't know what loyalty is.

People may change, but usually the change seen isn't them changing into someone else. It's just their true colors coming out. Surface level things might change, but it takes mountains to change who someone is at their core. And usually time reveals all. People can't hide who they are forever.

It's okay to be loyal, but you should never have to choose between loyalty and your own happiness. Loyalty shouldn't be hard. Pain isn't synonymous with loyalty.

You should never be loyal to someone who isn't loyal to you.

When I finally say enough and walk away, I see no hope left. I’ve weathered many storms and been beaten down over and over and the fight that was once worth it is no longer worth it. I'm done.

You should never have to lose yourself to save someone else.

When I stop fighting, I stop caring. I don’t want to say goodbye, but I’m done trying. I know that I don't deserve to be treated that way. I deserve better and I understand I'm not betraying someone or being disloyal just because I'm finally putting myself first. I deserve someone that appreciates and reciprocates my loyalty. Someone that doesn't constantly push to see how far my loyalty will stretch. It takes a lot to go from everything to nothing to me. It takes a lot to get me to a breaking point. But, that isn't a place you want to be. No matter how hard and how painful it might be for me to walk away and cut someone off, I will.

Never push a loyal person to the point where they no longer give a damn.

Because once that loyalty is lost, it’s pretty much impossible to get back. Because it isn't just loyalty, it's everything with it. Once I say goodbye, I mean it. I'm leaving without looking back. It's goodbye. For good.

It's important to be loyal to others, but don't forget to be loyal to yourself.

Loyalty means loving yourself and fighting for what you deserve. It means knowing your worth. And sometimes that means walking away from people who don't deserve you. Walking away so you can walk towards what you do deserve.