32

The Last Breakup

Everything changes. Of course, this particular thing hadn’t yet, because it only changed after you and Gilles stopped being in each other’s lives, and by then, the book was finished. But even when the book is finished, the story still continues.

It took you years to finally be at peace with the decision not to see Elena, though. Years of questioning and puzzling. A lot of your questions arose because you couldn’t be at peace with dropping people from your life. You thought that was a sign of weakness. If you were emotionally grown enough, you thought, you could accept anyone.

That’s not true, by the way. Not because it’s impossible, just that sometimes there are huge, clashing differences. There are so many lessons, but sometimes the best lesson we can take from them is that we are better off with different people. Nothing lasts forever. Sometimes, letting those people go is a sign that we are finally improving our self-esteem. Sometimes it’s a sign of strength.

Of course, the problem wasn’t Elena; the problem was Gilles. You loved him. You wanted him in your life, even if it was just as friends. And it hurt not to see him.

But beyond wanting him in your life, you fought tooth and nail for freedom of choice. Remember lesson 16? Freedom of choice, real freedom of choice, isn’t only for you; it’s for everyone else as well.

When you finally combined all your lessons, you saw that your relationship with Gilles had been life-changing. Your relationship with Elena was also life-changing. And when all those lessons were learned, there was nothing else for you to give one another. Feeling hurt about it was futile. The lesson was over, and it was time for you to learn something else. But living in the past and choosing to continue to feel pain had prevented you from moving on.



There are always new lessons to be learned, new adventures to be had, and new miracles around the corner. But clinging to the past will stop you from finding them.