In the Merriam-Webster dictionary, trust is defined as the “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.” However, to different people, trust can mean many different things. Trusting someone can mean that you tell them anything and they know all your secrets and your quirks. Or maybe, you’re not as trusting and to you, it is letting a person into small portions of your life, and only the portions you want them to see. Trust is different for everyone because it is an abstract noun. There is no defining it.

Trust, in any way that it is given, can be broken. Trust can be taken advantage of, and when that happens, healing can be hard and learning to trust someone again can feel almost impossible. If you realize you can never trust the person who broke your trust, it does not mean that there are not people out there who are deserving of the gift of trust.

However, trust isn’t one-sided, and being the person to receive someone else’s trust can be a big responsibility. Whether it’s a secret someone told you or a story about their life that they haven’t told many people, realize that it was hard for them to trust and don’t take advantage of the gift that has been put before you. It’s like in a trust fall: there is the person that is trusting the other to catch him, but it isn’t possible to do a trust fall without the other person there to catch you.

As I’ve gotten older, trust has taken on a new meaning. Every year, my definition of trust, and the people who I trust and confide in, is different, and it’s different in every circumstance.

But as changing and unstable trust can be, it’s an important part of our lives. If you’ve never trusted anyone, who would you talk to? Who could share your secrets and crazy expeditions if you didn’t have anyone to trust? So as hard as trust is and how much work it is to both keep and share, don’t take trust lightly because it’s important.