I was once attached to people who treated me like dirt I was once attached to people who treated me like dirt, and the hardest part is that I didn't see it that way at the time. When you're emotionally invested, you have a way of explaining things away. You focus on the good moments, minimize the bad ones, and convince yourself that being hurt occasionally is the price of staying connected. Looking back, I wasn't attached to how they treated me. I was attached to who I hoped they would become. I kept waiting for consideration, respect, and care to arrive because I believed the version of them I had created in my mind. Meanwhile, reality kept showing me something different. One of the most painful lessons I've learned is that familiarity can make mistreatment feel normal. You adapt. You tolerate things you once said you never would. You become grateful for basic decency because your standards have slowly been worn down. These days, I understand something I wish I had understood sooner: the people who truly value you will never require you to trade your self-respect for their presence. And no connection is worth the cost of forgetting your own worth.