There's have been discussions about people you haven't heard from in ages attempting to reconnect with you during the quarantine phase and while everyone seems to be taking an absolute stance one way or the other, I've personally handled it on a case by case basis.

There are people I don't want to hear from and the way they made initial contact after so long explicitly reminds me of why we fell out in the first place.

There's also people I didn't expect to ever hear from again where the convo upended what I previously thought to be true.

Everything isn't carceral. I suppose people have to be willing to admit that what they heard, what they saw, or what they believed to be the case at the time simply wasn't that.

But that means admitting fault and some would rather keep the trauma unresolved than admit fault.

Anyway, my point is: after a while, *you* become part of the problem (unbeknownst to you at the time) and you fixate even more on what or who you think is the problem.

That feeling of injustice can consume you, whether you allow it to or not. It can also dictate your next move

Ultimately, I choose to let go of the bitterness. By doing so, I don't necessarily forgive and forget. That's a different process. By letting go of the bitterness, it allows me to focus on what's in front of me and appreciate the people who *do* understand more.

I may never cross paths with any of the people who have wronged me and we may never actually hash things out.

But by releasing the bitterness or the majority of it, space can be made so that if the conversation happens, the environment isn't as toxic as it once was.

One of my lifelong problems is taking too long to accept that a lot of the people I love don't love me back.

It might not be right but it's okay. I have people in my life who do and that's where my focus should be.

What I'm trying to say is: don't let your bitterness get in your own way or take up space.

There will come a time where you won't have room for the people and things you *do* care about and if/when you lose them, you'll have more bitterness than you know what to do with.