Happy Anniversary!

No - it's not my blog's anniversary.

Quote: The Single Woman
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This weekend marks the one year anniversary of my breakup with Big. One year ago, he told me that he didn't want our relationship to move any further. One year ago, my heart was so broken, I honestly didn't think I would ever be the same.

Wanna know a secret? I was right - I'm not the same, and I expect I never will be. But not in the way I thought.

Lots of lousy first dates, a crush, a couple of near-relationships, a love cleanse and - most importantly - a year of reinventing myself and my friendships has taught me who I really am. I've grown, changed and learned an awful lot about life. I'm truly happy, with myself and my life. I know how to recognize a good, happy relationship - something I learned from being in a fabulous relationship with myself.

When I remember how I felt that night in my car - and realize how happy I am one year later - one word comes to mind: Hope.

Quote: Unknown
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The thing about hope is that it is so much easier to lose than it is to build. With anything new, we take so long to trust - to allow ourselves to feel hopeful and happy. But crushing hope? That can happen in an instant. With the *snap* of a finger - we can go from happy to completely broken. What's even worse, each time we lose hope, it takes longer and longer before we'll allow ourselves to feel it again.

That's the thing about life - you never know what's coming next. The best moments are often born from the worst. It is so hard to believe it when you're in that moment. But I think that's the greatest gift of any heartbreak; once you've survived, you know you can. The next time (and there will be a next time, in one way or another) you'll be ready to jump back into hope that much quicker.

It doesn't matter if your heart was broken by love, by friendship, by the loss of a loved one or the loss of your perfect job - the most important thing you can learn is to never, ever give up hope.