Saturday, February 14, 2009

Gracefully Accepting the Honorable Mention and Being Thankful for the Consolation Prize

The end of a relationship always sucks.

But, as I look over my life of breakups with various boyfriends, I realize that in most instances--while I was indeed left with a broken heart and an "honorable mention," thanking me for the memories I helped to make--I was also left with a very sturdy consolation prize.

So even when a relationship goes South and disintegrates into oblivion, scan the premises and appreciate what remains! :-)

Becky, one of my very best friends who I call my Kindred Spirit, was the consolation prize I got to keep after my breakup with Chris in college. And it was a package deal, for my dear friend Abby came along with the exchange. Both are treasured friends to me still today, and the boy is nowhere in their picture or mine!

Rin is the consolation prize I carried out from my broken relationship with Jon in 2007. She's an incredibly loyal friend whose practical advice cuts through the fog of my sadness and always sobers me up to reality. She jumped the lines of loyalty to remain my friend.

And my near-sister Andrea was the consolation prize for things ending with Mike.

But sometimes the consolation prize ends up being a great guy friend. These friendships blossom only after the relationship with the other guy has ended. My good friend Brandon was the consolation prize for breaking up with Sean. And Tim seems to be presenting himself as the consolation prize for things not working out with Giuseppe.

At other times, the consolation prize may not even be human. My doves metaphorically flew into my life on the very same day that Nate jetted. It was an unexpected, rather ironic exchange, since neither the acquisition nor the liability was predicted.

If you watch my Facebook behavior, you'll notice that I'm absolutely NOT a fan of friend-stealing or swapping, but isn't it strange how the chips fall when something like a heart breaks?

When something ends, whether it's a real relationship or one that never made it to the DTR Calibration Conversation, a girl should gracefully accept her Honorable Mention Ribbon and take notice of her consolation prize. When the dust settles, a loyal friend just might be waiting!