Dave Goudreau

Some Better Things To Do Besides Texting Your Ex

Dance to Rihanna in the kitchen. Call your mom just to say you love her. Rearrange your room. Choose yourself. Swipe on Hinge. Pretend you never met them, even if it’s just for a night. Understand that sometimes faking it until you make it actually works. Put away your phone. Put on an outfit that makes you feel beautiful. Put yourself out there. Draft what you wish you could say to them in the notes app and then delete it in the morning. Take a step back. Take a chance. Take the long way home after work and cry. Remember who you are. Remember who they are. Remember this is why you broke up. Text your best friend and say why you’re grateful for them. Look at the moon. Marvel at the stars. Read about the vastness of outer space and consider it a metaphor for your ability to love again. Rearrange your room. Cuddle your dog. Journal. Count your blessings in disguise, including your breakup. Take a nice, hot shower. Light a candle. Dig deep. Do the task you’ve been putting off for months that will take five minutes (yes, that one). Be grateful you collided with someone who made you feel so deeply once. Be glad you get another shot at the real thing. Understand the purpose they served. Go on a long, meandering walk and be humbled by the fact that the world has continued on despite them leaving yours. Go on a date with someone new. Let go. Give yourself the closure you wish they gave you.