Cha-Cha-Changes, Part 2

I suppose I should blog about my recent lifestyle change - ending a year and a half-long relationship and moving into a new place. You remember the Captain, my partner in crime and adventuring across the bounds of space and time.

As it usually turns out, our relationship had a lot of intrinsic problems and things didn't end well between us. I've never understood that, not in my or anyone else's relationships, how the parting of two souls can be so painful for one or both parties that it renders both of them unable to say a kind word to one another. But here we are.

When we moved in together, I received so many cautionary calls from family and friends warning me that "it's so much easier" to leave a person when you live together versus when you're married. What no one ever told me was how difficult it would be to leave. I'm a realistic person; I never hang onto a relationship I know isn't good for me and I willingly admit when something isn't working - usually.

Living with this person turned me into someone I hardly recognized. I felt like I was on mute. When I ended things, it felt like I came out of hibernation. Where I once saw only dead ends, I now see endless possibilities. I am excited about living my life again.

Feeling this way, like I can do anything in the world, is an affirmation of the choices I have made. I am glad I had the experience, because it helped inform me of what I really want in life, not just in a life partner. It helped me reassess my priorities. It helped me return to a truer me.

The ending of long-term relationships has always been fascinating to me, yet it always seems so impolite to ask others how and why theirs has come to an end. So ... can I ask you all now? Tell all.