The Broken Hearted

As a die-hard Facebooker, lately I have watched the ticker on my feed to see all too many of my friends' statuses change from "in a relationship" to "single." And while this is without a doubt the number one reason that you will never see me change my relationship status, it is also the reason that I sit here writing this post.

It's not often that you will see someone in my industry talk about the taboo subject of a broken heart.  After all, my livelihood is dependent upon the climax of a successful match up.  Even with that being the case, I don't feel that any of us would be doing ourselves a favor to ignore the reality that, despite our best efforts, sometimes love simply doesn't work out. I say this with confidence as the self-accepted roadkill of the relationship world.  I have been disappointed by love more times than I care to admit, each time making the solemn swear to myself that I'll never let it happen again. But truth be told, I kind of feel sorry for the poor schmucks out there who have never had their heart broken. 

I could go on about how we shouldn't define ourselves by a relationship, and how you're probably better off now that it's over. But let's be honest, anybody going through a breakup is more than likely in the pits of despair right now, and there's nothing anybody can say to make it better. And from that despair comes long lonely nights spent trying to numb the pain, followed by even worse mornings of realizing that it's still there... And he's still not. And then come the countless hours of crying so hard that you begin to feel nauseous, the phone calls from well meaning friends that only remind you of your loss, and the weeks spent avoiding your old hangout spots for fear that you might see him. Starting to sound familiar?  If so, then you, my dear, have had your poor little heart broken.

We all have the opportunity to take away what we choose from the loves that were not.  For some it is the value of the lessons learned about themselves and the mistakes to avoid in the future. For me, is was the overwhelming reminder that I am in fact human.  And that as painful as it was to have my heart on my sleeve, it was the only way I learned just how much I can love another human being.  And with that comes the hope of knowing that, one day, I will find someone that loves me just as much.

But anybody that has never had their heart broken doesn't understand these things. It's a right of passage of sorts, life lessons that only those that have been drug through the mud are privileged to know.  And for that reason, I feel sorry for them. And for that reason, I feel proud of us!  So if you now find yourself in the pits of despair, just go with it.  You will in fact survive.  And you will one day find yourself on the other side, proud of yourself, and ready to try again.