Some people like to make clean breaks and call it a day. Others like to salvage what they can. I identify more with the latter, than the former. But not every post-relationship friendship works out the same, and some may take longer than others to make that transition. I have been relatively fortunate to have remained on good terms with most of my exes. It hasn't always been easy for new relationships, which I can sometimes understand, but I'm pretty adamant about not killing my past for the comfort of someone else.
My last relationship of 4 years was able to make that transition, though admittedly, it is still a little difficult and awkward. The adjustment isn't always easy to accept -- for either party -- regardless of how or who may have ended it. Old habits and such, I suppose.
I guess one of the most significant reasons I try to keep people in my life is that to me, it feels like such a waste to have shared so much with someone, only to relegate them to absence. In some cases, this is unavoidable, but where applicable, I do what I can to retain some semblance of friendship.
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