Being Dumped

So, those of you who know me, know that I went through the worst breakup of my life late last June. And, since it's been over a year, I found myself reflecting about my situation and what I learned from it. So, here it goes:

Breakups are hard. Yes, that statement is a totally overused cliche, but it's the truth. They're rough. Being dumped by the person you thought was "the one" does something to you. It changes your entire being and creates a bitterness that festers inside your very core...at least for a bit, while you're in the anger phase. It makes you eat a ton of Edy's Grand Light ice cream and then immediately book it to the gym to work off your guilty calories. It makes you cry every time you see the Wedding Singer on TBS when Adam Sandler serenades Drew Barrymore on the plane to Vegas. It makes you go see psychic after psychic just to give you hope that someone new will come along someday. It makes you form parasocial relationships with hot Travel Channel TV show hosts. (See past blog about Adam Richman.) Basically, it kills.

But, being dumped by the person you thought was "the one" is also a gift. It forces you to reach inside yourself to extract the gumption you need to move on. It makes you go on a date with a person of the same sex...just to see because you so never played that game in college. It allows you to take that trip to wine country you and he had always talked about with a good friend instead. And, you secretly know that you had a much better time with her than you would've with his hairy self. It pushes you to try dating a different caliber of guys, the nice nerd, who says "oh dear" instead of "oh shit." It helps you to be a better friend to others when they find themselves going through the same heartbreak. It gets you to write more, and you come up with several funny essays about your failed relationship, two of which are going to be in a book. :) But, most importantly, it teaches you how to have compassion and love for the one person who needs it most, you.