on relationships...

let me begin this by saying, no one knows how to do this right... relationships are like a bike that we're all repeatedly trying to learn how to ride...

i don't know if there's something in the water, the air or the ground, but in the past six months or so there's been (almost) nothing but break ups all around... and for the most part, splits between people who had built lives together, spent years together, invested love... this is not frightening -- after all, it's life and this is what happens... but out of the break ups come conversations and out of the conversations come concepts that seem so ridiculous...

it's never easy to be left by someone you loved... but must anyone result to name calling, inappropriate voice mails, and general overreacting? no. do not forget that you loved that person once and losing your mind will not get them back... as difficult as it may be, save yourself the embarrassment of berating them, breaking their things, saying things you don't mean and concentrate more on picking yourself up and dusting yourself off...

if you feel lost without your partner once you've split, maybe that tells you that you didn't have your life in check... i'm not saying you shouldn't miss them, but you should never solely exist because of another person... time spent with your friends should never be simply when they're out of town or busy... it's all about balance -- finding where your life exists and where your love comes into that... no one "needs" a relationship, but it's extremely normal to "want" one... that's the point... it's like an added bonus to your life... it does not make your life...

no one is perfect... and as much we don't know exactly how to make relationships work sometimes, we also don't know exactly how to make break ups work sometimes either... it's easy to want to flip out, to curse their name, to hate them and ban them from the rest of your existence... and if that's what you need, do it... it takes two people to be friends and if they're not having it or you think it's the worst idea in the world, then walk away... don't be afraid to cry and be upset... after all, if you spent all that time investing in a relationship with them and then walked away unscathed, you'd wonder how... feel what you need to feel and there will come a day when all's okay again...

i don't profess to be some sort of relationship expert at all -- because clearly i have made my own mistakes and don't have much to show for it now... the entire point behind this post was to just release some of the thoughts that are swirling in my head after the conversations and circumstances that i've seen around me in the past few weeks... it's my two cents... like your next relationship, take it or leave it...