Emotional Baggage.
At some point, we have all carried some. And for many years, I had more than I could check. But sometimes, it’s hard to acknowledge the load when you’re not aware that you’re even carrying it in the first place. With Rachel, even though she was aware of her baggage, she didn’t necessarily understand just how much of it she had.
Fresh from her breakup with Mike, she started to feel the effects of her decision slowly creep into the new life she was building for herself. All the pain she previously swept under the rug came tumbling out. It was as if the floodgates opened, and she was left trying to make sense of everything that washed up. However, even though she was hurt, she knew she had made the best decision for herself. And the last thing she wanted was to fall victim to the belief that the pain equated to regret.
One of the first things we consider when a relationship ends is time. Time invested and time wasted. But let me set the record straight: The time you spent was NEVER wasted. Think about how much you learned. Think about how much you’ve grown. And most importantly, think about how much better off you’ll be in the next relationship. All the people we have chosen to spend our lives with are never wrong, because they give us all the necessary tools to find the right person.
What I loved most about this chapter was that it explored the importance of letting go, or, at least, recognizing the need to. Rachel may have been secure in her decision to leave Mike, but that didn’t mean that walking away from him meant everything would be perfect from there on out. There was too much residual hurt, resentment, and built-up denial that needed to be dealt with first. She couldn’t make the same mistake by casting it all to the side, knowing that it would resurface in future relationships. It was time to sweep under that damn rug.
Either way, leaving Mike set the wheels in motion for her to begin rebuilding her life. But just because she decided to leave him didn’t mean that the healing part was over. It wasn’t that she had any regrets; it was more about her facing the truth of what the breakup with Mike actually meant. Not to mention, all the compromises and sacrifices left holes in her identity that needed to be filled. She had to rediscover parts of herself that she abandoned over the years—and that wasn't something that would happen overnight.
Read the rest in Episode 3 available on Kindle Vella on June 1st!
