Over is a four-letter word

We’ve all been in love. Laughed with silly jokes, shared silly phrases, called each other silly nicknames. Played in the sun, in the dark, while the rest of the world slept or worked or did other very responsible things.

And we’ve all been to the gloomy place where all that loses its lustre. Where silly just becomes stupid, where watching a movie or reading a book sounds better than spending time with our significant (?) other. Where what was once the reason we got up in the morning is now another thing to check on our to-do list.

Surprisingly, that’s the good way to end a relationship. Yes, I know ending and good should create an oxymoron, but it’s true. When you want something to be over, you heal easier, you move on faster, you place the good memories in the treasure-chest of your heart and delete the bad with a small sigh.

But what happens when that magical bond between two people is broken abruptly?

When it’s not the logical result of a succession of events? When someone cheats, lies or just plain lets us down in a way that’s unforgivable? Big words fly high and low in the heat of the moment, even more so when someone is impulsive. “It’s over” is a prevalent phrase we throw around, but how true is it really? Maybe it’s just something we say to hurt the other person the way they hurt us.

Bitterness flows when love ebbs and the hurt takes over. Walking away sometimes is the only thing to do. Or maybe it’s the easiest. Whether it’s heartache or pride that forces us to run, we do. More often than not in this day and age. But what we always seem to forget is that we can run but we can’t hide. From our feelings, from the truth. They follow us around like an annoying shadow, forcing us to go back and pick up the pieces of our broken relationship. Be adults and own up to our mistakes.

You can’t have a fight with only one person.

Greek saying that fits the bill in most cases.

So what happens when the bill’s too much for us to pay, and we realize that we spoke too fast? It’s not always possible to take such a small but powerful word back. Sometimes the hurt we’ve caused by walking away excedes the pain we felt in the first place, and we’re left in limbo. Nowhere to go back to, nowhere to move on to. The chain of reactions has wrapped around our neck and strangles us.

That’s the bittersweet beauty of life though. Pain is also needed so we can learn, adjust, evolve, and hopefully do it right in the future.

So are you a man/woman of your four-letter word? Do you mean it when you tell someone it’s over or do you later regret it?