Conscious Uncoupling
I’ve been dating a man for two-and-a-half years. We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs and he and I have come to the conclusion that we should not be a couple at this point in our individual lives. We’ve accepted that we should have ended that aspect of our relationship much earlier than we are and yet, we get along famously. And yet, we still love one another. And yet, we’re still the first people we think of to talk to. And yet, we still live together. And yet, we have a dog that he and I very much consider ourselves the parents of. When faced with a situation like this, what does one do?
Yes, I was one of the eye-rollers flinging judgement left and right when I first read the statement that Gwen, Chris & Co. put out via her GOOP website regarding their separation. Once I dismounted (gracefully mind you) my high horse, I realized that this is a phrase I would use, the best phrase I could use, to describe what I’m currently experiencing. What if we all approached a break up with the same measured care we first used when entering the relationship? What if we could all consciously uncouple?
Having survived a number of break ups (some more bitter and damaging than others), the idea that a chapter or book of one’s life could be closed with a uncomplicated and rather loving epilogue is both hopeful and relieving at the same time. I hope that the next relationship (as I always do) will need a library to contain its story and I’m relived that if it doesn’t (which is always possible) that it will have an ending worth experiencing.