#wildflowersunscripted {past relationships}

I think every single encounter we come across has a purpose. Last night in yoga class, the instructor mentioned that even the people that get under our skin have a purpose in our lives - they may be there to teach us patience and honestly... I loved that.

When you really think about it, every single relationship, even those where we have been back stabbed, betrayed, hurt, or even left completely broken, have taught us a lesson or two. I know for me, whether it's been an ex or someone that I used to call a friend, I have always learned something and in some way, whether we like it or not, we are forever connected to that person because of that. That's why it is so important to learn to forgive or accept what has happened in the past and continue to focus on our present and future. This is made so much easier when we stop to truly reflect on what has happened and make a decision to learn whatever life lesson we were meant to learn from it.

In the past, I have had some pretty traumatizing relationships - both romantically and friendships alike. I have dated people that I fell in love with and in a blink of an eye, I have also fallen out of love. I have been in long, agonizing relationships that have left my soul depleted. I have trusted certain individuals with some of my most personal secrets to later found out my secrets weren't secrets anymore. I have given all of me to some that didn't know the value in that.

But I have learned a great deal from all of these relationships, the most valuable being that one can't truly love another person unless they first love themselves. At times, when I have lost love for myself, I found myself believing that I was falling out of love altogether and it took some mistakes to figure out that that wasn't necessarily the case. Without self awareness, it's easy to mess up something so good.

Just another reason why I have decided to focus so much on myself -- that way, I am able to really give myself to others who are deserving and that love me just as much as I love them.