This is whatI learned in all of my years on this earth. If somebody wants to walk out ofyour life… Let them go. Especially if you know you have done everything youcan. You’ve been the best man or woman you can be and they still want to go,let ‘em go. Whatever they’re running after, they’ll see what they had in aminute, but by then it will be too late. Half of these people you’re cryingabout, you’re worrying about, two or three years from now, you won’t evenremember their last name. How many times you’ve seen folks say, ‘What the h_ __ was I thinking? What was wrong with me? I must have been lonely as h_ _ _ tohook up with you.’
Let folksgo, son. Some come for a lifetime. Some come for a season. You got to knowwhich is which. And you gonna always mess up when you mix them season of peopleup with lifetime expectations. You got people who have gotten married to peoplethey were only supposed to be with for a season. They got married to peoplethey were only supposed to be with for a season and they wonder why they haveso much hell in their life. That was a person who was supposed to teach you onething. You didn’t know it so you just fell in love and now you wonder why youdon’t have peace nowhere you go.
No, no. Listen.I put everybody that comes into my life in the category of a tree. Some peopleare like leaves on a tree. The wind blows, they’re over here. It blows theother way, they’re over there. They’re unstable. Seasons change. They witherand die. They’re gone. That’s alright. Most people in the world are like that. They’rejust there to take from the tree. They aren’t going to do anything but take andgive shade every now and then. That’s all they can do. Don’t get mad at peoplelike that. That’s who they are. They were put on the earth to be a leaf. Somepeople are like a branch on the tree. You gotta be careful of those branchestoo. They’ll fool you. They make you think they’re a good friend and they’rereal strong, but you step out there on them, and they break and they leave youhigh and dry.
But if youfind you two or three people in your life just like the roots at the bottom ofthat tree, you are blessed ‘cause them the kind of people that ain’t goingnowhere. They ain’t worried about being seen. Don’t nobody have to know theyknow you. Don’t have to know what they’re doing for you. But if those roots weren’tthere, that tree couldn’t live. A tree can have a hundred million branches, butthere’s only a few roots down at the bottom. I’m telling you son, when you getsome roots, hang onto them. But the rest of them, let it go. Let folks go.
Nobody saidit will be easy, but it get easier when you learn how to love yourself. Whenyou get to the point in your life where you look at people and you go, ‘Okay, waita minute. You or me. You will make a decision.’ I’ve never in my life toldnobody, ‘Don’t bother me. Don’t talk to me.’ But what I do, I say, ‘Look. Thisthing you’re doing right here. That’s gonna cause a problem. You gotta fix that.Cause if we’re gonna be friends, we gonna be cool, you’re gonna fix that. Andif you don’t, we’re gonna have an issue.’ If you see somebody fix it, or eventrying to fix it that’s somebody that cares. Keep them people around. That’s aleaf that’s trying to grow up and be something else. You understand?
But if youtell somebody ‘what you doing is hurting me, you need to stop,’ but they keepdoing it, they don’t care. Move on. Let them go. No matter how much it hurt,let them go. And it will get easier. Every day it will get easier and easier,you just gotta make it through. You need to learn to be by yourself. Peoplehave to learn how to be alone. I don’t understand all these people who pray,‘Lord, where is my man? Lord, where is my woman?’ That is crazier as h_ _ _. Ifyou don’t know how to be by yourself, what you gonna do with somebody else? Stoppraying about it. Shut up and wait. Go work on you. H_ _ _, that’s what thattime is for to get yourself together. I’d rather be in the corner by myself witha puppet and a goldfish, and be happy than to be sitting around with somebodyin my house, and I’m wondering ‘what the h_ _ _ they there for?’
You would besurprised at what people put up with just to have somebody to say they lovethem. I don’t understand it. I can’t live in dysfunction. I’m sorry. I’ve donecome through too much hell and high water to let you come up in my adult lifewhen I’m supposed to be at peace and give me all kind of hell. Only two placeson this earth you gonna have peace. The grave and your house. And if you can’twake up in your house and have peace, something’s wrong. I’m sorry.”
(“Madea” –Tyler Perry)
