Good and bad

I was reading this blog entry this morning talking about the good old days of IE (internet explorer) and how, even as evil as it may be now, some good things did come out of it. Good things they did in the beginning, and good things that came from them screwing it up royally.

I was thinking about how life is like that sometimes. Say you have a job you absolutely hate (I don't by the way, but I have). You go to work, do your job and just want to leave. When you finally move on, you take those experiences with you. You know what work environment is good for you and what is not. You learn how to deal with less than pleasant co-workers and deal with things under pressure. So the good part of that is that you get to take your experiences, good and bad, with you.

I think relationships are a lot like that too. Relationships with parents, friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, spouses all fall into this I think. With the exception of people who have been severly abused, who can say that nothing good came out of their relationship with mom or dad? It's even more apparent when it's people that you "chose" to be in a relationship with, like friends or significant others. No matter how bad things may be, there had to be something good in the beginning to create that bond. Obviously that doesn't go to say things don't end. People do change, learn what they like and don't like. Otherwise, we'd all be dating our first boyfriend/girlfriend and how horrible would that turn out (I'm shuttering at the thought of mine).

Anyway, I think I get caught up in this sometimes, as I'm sure we all do. I look at how bad a situation or relationship is and wonder why it just won't work or what's the point? I have to remind myself sometimes that this person or this situation has brought about a lot of good things. My mom/dad used to help me with my homework, my friend led me to Christ, my group of friends and I used to spend countless hours hanging out, having fun and being nice to each other. My best friend has always been there for me no matter what. I guess its easier to look at when its the people closest to you, the ones you hope love you unconditionally (or as much as anyone can) and that you love the same back. But looking at the good stuff, even when it is time to "move on" I think sends you away with a little less hostility and feeling a little better about things.

Yeah, I haven't done one of these in a while, huh? Oh well.