my answer: since she is an adult, and one to whom you are not married, and with whom you do not share children, once she pushes you away… you stay away. You stay away and accept that it might be a permanent break, an ending to the relationship.

There is a concept called Radical Acceptance, which is about aiming at completely accepting reality, not struggling or resisting it at all.

Hi, thank you for the reply.

I understand what you are saying, but I’d like to push back on this a little bit.

I agree that I should stay away, but I don’t agree that I should stay away forever and just let the relationship die at this juncture if that is what you are suggesting. I feel it would be very early to accept that.

I undersand the concept, but I just think sometimes you do have to struggle and resist if it is something important enough to you. I believe we possess the power to bend reality to our liking, and you have to try to fight for control over your own destiny if the person  that you are at risk of losing is important enough to you.

Now, if after you try and it fails, at some point – yes – you should accept it and move on. But I don’t feel I’m at that point. I don’t think she is either.