Friday night was the first time I truly felt on my own in California. My relationship ending was one thing, but what felt worse, was not having my amazing life coach\/therapist to talk with. This of course, was my Airbnb host, another older and wiser adult, who I\u2019ve become close to in a short period of time. (I really need to start meeting people my own age.) I have to admit, I was a little cautious about the whole Airbnb thing at first, but I needed a place to stay temporarily before I landed a studio to call my own.<\/p>\n
First lesson I learned when I walked into her home, was that you can<\/em>\u00a0mix-and-match prints. I knew right then, I was going to totally milk this and get as much d\u00e9cor advice as possible. Little did I know, I\u2019d be gaining so much more. I talked to her about basically everything this past month. Yep, if you\u2019re reading this, she probably knows you, your last name, your address and we should be getting a sample of your DNA back soon; but let\u2019s stick to the subject. Here is some kickass advice to live by from my Airbnb host!<\/p>\n Pay Attention To “Pink Flags”<\/strong> Don’t Feel Guilty for Cutting People out of Your Life<\/strong> Why Lie? Be Straight Up<\/strong> I\u2019ve given my keys back twice to people this month. Only this time, the person who closed the door opened my mind in more ways than one. Now that\u2019s a five star rating!<\/p>\n
\nI hate<\/em>\u00a0that I often excuse those little things about a person that drive me crazy and don\u2019t make me feel good. An unanswered text, \u201che must be busy,\u201d or how about that guy who is only available on Sunday? Yep, he\u2019s a keeper. If the feelings are mutual, the effort will be equal. All the little bits of \u201cinformation\u201d they\u2019re unknowingly sharing might be nothing at all. The only thing you can do is follow your gut and call them what they are, \u201cPink Flags.\u201d They ain\u2019t red yet, but they are getting close.<\/p>\n
\nI think the reason why I handled the breakup semi-ok\u00a0was because I\u2019ve had worse. I\u2019ve had my heart broken one too many times by not boyfriends but close girlfriends, who are no longer in my life. This present situation has had me reflect on the past and had me thinking, \u201cWow, that\u2019s a long list of people I\u2019ve walked away from.\u201d My Airbnb host made me feel better when she said, \u201cYou cut them out of your life for a reason.\u201d I thought, you know what, she\u2019s right! Even if I had the choice to go back, I would still choose to walk away, knowing that relationship wasn\u2019t healthy for me. I\u2019m proud to say that I know when it\u2019s time to walk away from a once beautiful relationship, boyfriend or girlfriend. Now, I have to start not feeling guilty for it.<\/p>\n
\nWhile this seems like a given, it\u2019s actually harder than it sounds. I\u2019ve realized that I have lied a few times to protect another person\u2019s feelings. Ah wait, that\u2019s a lie. I lied because I felt it was easier than getting into something that would be uncomfortable. Sure, I can be the most straight-up bitch and tell it like it is to my besties (sorry again Olivia, love you<\/em>!). Then why do I sugarcoat things with the opposite sex? Not to excuse my actions, but I think most of us are guilty of this. For example, when I was out with this guy, he asked me if I was talking to anyone else and I said no. Then, as I was chatting with my Airbnb host I said, \u201cWell\u2026 there is this one other guy\u2026\u201d and she said, \u201cWhy do we do this?! Why do we lie?!\u201d She\u2019s right, why didn\u2019t I just say, \u201cYes, I am talking to a few other people, but I\u2019ve only gone out with you?\u201d I think it\u2019s just a natural reflex. Whether we\u2019re concerned that we may sound slutty, worried about hurting the other persons feelings, or simply just don\u2019t want to spoil the moment, we lie. No more of that.<\/p>\n