[New post] 20 Thoughts to consider before saying “Good-bye”

Letting go of love

Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.  ~Author UnknownLet no one who loves be unhappy. . . even love unreturned has its rainbow. ~James Matthew BarrieSadness flies away on the wings of time. ~Jean de La FontaineLove is never lost.  If not reciprocated, it will flow back and soften and purify the heart. ~Washington Irving.Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night. I miss you like hell.  ~Edna St. Vincent MillayIt is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all. ~Alfred Lord Tennyson.True love doesn’t have a happy ending, because true love never ends.  Letting go is one way of saying, “I love you.” ~UnknownWhat is the opposite of two?  A lonely me, a lonely you. ~Richard Wilbur

20 Thoughts to consider before saying "Good-bye"

Last August, I wrote this piece because I was struck by a British study that said most couples divorce because they have fallen out of love.  If you really think your love is over, think about it carefully before drawing a line in the sand and saying "Good-bye forever.

Before saying anything at all, write out the pros and cons of the relationship.Write out the 5 qualities about the other person that helped you to fall in love.Write out at least 2 things that brought the two of you joy.In a completely rational way ask yourself, “If he or she were breaking up with me, what are the words that I would want to hear?" Start from a positive position—“We have shared happy times together.”State the reality—“Something is not working between us.”Express your need—“I need to move on.”Be willing to listen, calmly, to the other person’s reaction.Decide in advance not to argue.Acknowledge how difficult is it to say the words, “It is over.”Be firm. “I am not telling you this so that you will change, or do things differently. I am telling you this because I feel that this is the end of the road for us.”Decide how to answer the other person when he or she says, “Couldn’t we give it another try?  Can we go to counseling together? "If you can agree to counseling, go into the sessions with an open mind.Be honest. State what you feel, but do so kindly thinking about the person’s positive qualities.If your love asks if there is someone else, decide if you should say, “This is not about another person, but about us. We are not working.” OR if there is another person, be careful how you admit the truth.Remind yourself that if there is someone else, the longer you keep that fact from your love, the longer it will take for both of you to heal. “When you know the truth, the truth will set you free.”Be aware enough of your partner to know if he or she is the type who will benefit from you dragging out the good-bye or performing radical surgery—that is, “It’s over.”Understand the consequences of a prolonged “Good-bye.” It opens the door for one party doing a guilt trip on the other. It opens the door to manipulation. It opens the door to “victim” mode; that is, “How can you do this to me?”Understand the hurt and anger the other person is going through.At all times, remain calm.Reassure the other person that he or she is someone with whom you have shared a great deal of joy, but now it is time to move on. From 20 Thoughts on How to Say, “It’s Over”