Red Flags I Ignored

Hindsight is a very unkind teacher. It shows you the things you missed in high definition and then asks you what you were thinking. I have had a lot of those conversations with myself over the years.

The truth is, the flags were there. They always are. The way someone speaks to a waiter. The way they react when you are tired. The way they make you feel after you have spent an evening with them. Light, or heavy. Pay attention to that one in particular.

I used to call it being understanding. I now call it being available to behaviour I should not have been available to. There is a difference between giving someone grace and ignoring information.

If your body is telling you something is off, it is not paranoia. It is data. Your nervous system has been keeping notes long before your mind catches up. Trust it.