Sometimes you read something so good, it’s like the author handed you a nugget of gold.
I read some golden-nugget relationship advice recently, and I wanted to share it with you:
You are not a terrible person for wanting to break up with someone you love. You don’t need a reason to leave. Wanting to leave is enough.
Leaving doesn’t mean you’re incapable of real love or that you’ll never love anyone else again. It doesn’t mean you’re morally bankrupt or psychologically demented or a nymphomaniac. It means you wish to change the terms of one particular relationship. That’s all.
Be brave enough to break your own heart.
— Cheryl Strayed (Full text here)
Whew. "Be brave enough to break your own heart." That hits me hard every time I read it. I never dated many “bad boys,” but I’ve definitely dated my share of nice, good men…who just weren’t quite right for me.
And those same thoughts that Strayed describes — Am I incapable of commitment? Am I incapable of truly loving someone? — definitely crossed my mind.
Maybe you’ve been there, too. I find that many of my readers are kind, good people…and I find that kind, good people often have trouble walking away, especially if things are “mostly good.”
So I just wanted to send this today, in case it is what you were needing to hear:
1. You are allowed to leave, just because you want to.
2. Honoring your true needs may require breaking your own heart.
(And for the record, this doesn’t just apply to relationships).
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As always, I'm sending you strength + support for the week ahead. You've got this.