There’s a version of me from my 20s that I probably wouldn’t want to be friends with today.

I was chaotic. Reckless. The kind of person who encouraged bad decisions because it made things more fun. For me. And it’s no mystery why some of the people who were close to me then aren’t part of my life anymore.

Looking back, I don’t blame them. In fact, I respect it.

Because the truth is, not all friendships are meant to last forever. Some serve a purpose during a specific season of your life, and then they fade. Others feel like they should last, but don’t. And when you trace the timeline back honestly, you can usually see why.

This isn’t about being callous. It’s not about cutting people out at the first sign of difficulty. It’s about recognizing when a relationship is no longer healthy. When the weight of keeping someone in your life starts to outweigh the joy of being around them. When you start feeling small, or anxious, or drained every time they reach out.

And yes, sometimes it goes deeper than that.

Sometimes, the very people you trusted most are the ones who left you feeling unsafe. The ones who crossed boundaries they had no business crossing. The ones who made you question your worth, over and over again.

Letting go of a friendship like that won’t be easy. You’ll probably grieve it more than you expect to. But I promise you, there is peace on the other side of it. And space. Space to heal. Space to breathe. Space for the right people to find you, and for you to become someone you’re proud of again.

You’re not obligated to keep anyone in your life just because they’ve been there for a long time. That’s not loyalty. That’s fear disguised as comfort.

And you deserve more than that.