Walking Oceans for Jumpers of Puddles

There comes a time when the tides shift.

We’ve all seen it—maybe even lived it. That moment when you realize you've been walking oceans for people who wouldn’t jump over a puddle for you. The kind of people who sing your praises when your service benefits them, but shrink when it's time to see you as a person, not just a provider. They love the magic, but not the magician. They drink from the well but scoff at the hands that built it.

And worse? They call it love. They call it loyalty. They wrap manipulation in gratitude, drape it in politeness, and call it "just how things are."

Let’s be clear: there’s a difference between being kind and being used. A difference between being selfless and being self-erased.

Too many of us carry other people’s burdens as if they were our birthright, while others float freely in the comfort we provide—never asking if we're okay, never lifting a finger unless there's something in it for them. We are expected to stay soft, stay giving, stay quiet, and stay dependable—while they shapeshift and show up only when it’s easy, comfortable, or convenient.

That is not love. That is not a partnership. That is not a community.

That is abuse of gratitude.

It’s when someone thanks you just enough to keep you working, compliments you just enough to keep you from quitting, and notices you just enough to keep you hoping. They stretch your compassion until it breaks and then blame you for bleeding. They mistake your silence for agreement and your loyalty for servitude.

But here's the truth that many are waking up to:

The world is changing.

Those of us who once stood on principle, on love, on a code of loyalty and honor—we are not to be buried under the dust of manipulation. We are not foolish for caring. We are not weak in giving. We are not obligated to drain ourselves dry for those who would leave us thirsty.

No more.

This new era demands reciprocity, not charity. It demands intention, not illusion. It demands that people show up for you, not just for your benefits, resources, energy, or connections. It demands accountability.

We have entered the age where the whimsical shall rise again. The loving. The gentle. The artists, the healers, the givers. The people who feel deeply and act with integrity. But this time, we rise with boundaries. This time, we rise with our eyes open. This time, we walk away from those who only meet us at the shallow end.

It’s about principle now. Not popularity. Not peacekeeping. Not pretending. Because when you walk in truth, when your word is bond, and when your energy is sacred, you can no longer allow yourself to be used as a convenience store for broken people who refuse to heal.

Let this be the call:

Stop carrying what isn’t yours. Stop explaining your worth to those committed to misunderstanding it. Stop playing the role of caretaker in someone else’s self-inflicted chaos. Your empathy is a gift, not a currency to be bartered with. Your love is not a loophole for mistreatment.

Wake up. Pay attention.

When people grow too comfortable with your sacrifice, they stop seeing it as a gift and start seeing it as a requirement. They forget you have a choice. They forget you can leave.

But remember this: You don’t have to drown to prove your loyalty to someone who refuses to swim.

Let them walk their own puddles.

You? You’ve got oceans to cross—for those who would carry you in return.