I’d like to thank everyone for their posts. Trianglesun your advice has always been very straightforward and true. I appreciate that.

Jenny, your experience in love and relationships has made you very capable of sharing good advice. I hope that the girl I write about can also find a personal awakening in my departure. She doesn’t deserve to feel all of the complex sadness that comes with a dysfunctional relationship – just like I don’t. I’m not sure what joy she gets out of maintaining the communication she does with her ex. She once explained it to me, briefly, that she had put so much into it… that they had such a strong few years… it wasn’t something she could easily cut off. I understood that, but at the same time I saw the damage holding on to it did. Their relationship is really a mystery to me, but I know they built a life together for awhile… and at some point she felt she had to stop… Just a few months before she met me. Maybe she did it to see what else was out there, maybe to take some more time to be independent. Either way, I think the indecisiveness caused her more pain in the end. I hope she has her reasons and feels they were right for her. I hope she finds her happiness like I hope I find mine.

A relationship of 14 years certainly weighs heavier than mine of some 7 months, but I appreciate all that you are able to provide in terms of insight. You are very strong for being at the point you are now. For all the kind things you’ve said to help me, know that you too are doing the right thing and should feel good about that… even though we both know how difficult that feels. We will all recover from our heart aches and pains. Life is short but events like these are just part of the time line.

I woke up this morning feeling quite low. The mornings are the hardest for me. I forced myself out of bed and into my running shoes, and went on a jog for half an hour. The music was loud, and the scenery was beautiful, but I thought about her the whole time. I felt the pain of my heartbreak as I sprinted and I hoped that it was making me stronger. By the time I got home and into the hot shower, I felt some relief. My day has begun and I will get through it just fine.