“Blood is thicker than water,” as I’ve found, is just another fairytale. It’s one of the many stories we tell ourselves to try to make sense of what’s important in life; try to make sense of interpersonal relationships. I had always defended the idea that family ties were, and should, come before everything. But inevitably, my own belief bit me in the arse. It turned out to be just another disillusionment of life. Accepting others as they are; accepting that maybe there will always be different points of view, even among a tight group of people who grew up together, is key to avoiding unnecessary disappointments. I adopted that philosophy…