Relationships like a Bow Knot

A college friend said this to me as if it had just occurred to them while eating abura soba.

Don't you think it's better for relationships to be like a bow knot rather than a tight knot?

It was so sudden, but it was a phrase that strangely made perfect sense.

When you both feel comfortable, it doesn't matter which one it is, but there are times when you want to put a little distance between you and the relationship.

At times like that, it's very difficult to untie a tight, hardened knot. You might even have to cut it with scissors. If that happens, repairing the relationship is hopeless.

In that respect, a bow knot can be untied smoothly if you pull on one of the strings. Putting distance or retying it doesn't become a burden on either party.

I was surprised that they had suddenly come up with such a wonderful phrase.

From there, we talked for a while about our specific relationship worries.

On the way home, seeing my untied shoelaces, they muttered one thing,

It's also a good thing about bow knots that they come undone like this without you even noticing.

It's been almost two years since we graduated from high school, and I had been feeling sad that the frequency of meeting up with friends I was once so close to was gradually decreasing, and the number of members gathering was also dwindling.

But that wasn't the relationship snapping; it was just the process of it naturally coming undone, and thinking that the day might come when we can tie it again made my heart feel lighter.