I get how much of a cliché it is to have the main character return home and start her life over. But in all actuality, it does happen. And since we’re being honest, it also happened to me.
Rachel moved back to New York at the end of summer. I moved back in the middle of a snowstorm right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Both she and I were excited at the prospect of starting over. It was our chance at new beginnings. It was our chance at redemption. It was also our chance to create better lives for ourselves.
So, yeah, I get the cliché here. But since art is imitating life more than the other way around, it is worth noting that a lot of what I had written was based on actual events in this particular chapter.
Let’s share some secrets, shall we?
Returning home was imperative. For me, I needed to return to ground zero of my life in order to figure out who I was and where I planned on going from that point on. Had I stayed anywhere else, I don’t think my story would have turned out the way it did, nor would Rachel’s journey be as relatable to readers.
When you break up with someone, it almost feels like a mirror has suddenly been placed in front of you, baring a reflection of someone you hardly recognize anymore. Sometimes, it’s due to all the sacrifices and concessions you had made for someone who ended up not being worth it. Maybe it’s because you changed so much of what made you you, just to make something work that would have never ended up working out. But who are we kidding? All those concessions, sacrifices, and changes you made were never sustainable. Even if made with the best of intentions, having to make them in the first place should be the eyeopener that you are simply with the wrong person, to begin with.
But breaking up with someone doesn’t mean it’s time to start something new with someone else—no matter how wonderful Hallmark makes it out to be. You need time to work on that reflection of yours. Give yourself some time—some grace. When the time is right, you will know.
Stay tuned…
