rejection

When we’ve been rejected, we all have some initial trouble accepting that fact and resolving to keep our distance and move on. I know I sure did. The last time it happened to me, I was in denial for quite a while. I thought there was something I could do to change the situation. Maybe there was something I could say, something impressive I could show this person about myself that could overshadow all the things that had led to the rejection in the first place.

There wasn’t.

You can try to bargain and even convince yourself that the other person is fooling themselves, that you’ll be back in their life once they come around to realize that you’re OK after all.

But really, when it’s over, it’s over. We should be thankful for that. There are, in all likelihood, very good reasons for the separation between you and the departed — reasons that you may only later (or never) know.

It’s foolish to fight to maintain a relationship against the force of the other person’s will or the intent of a higher power to keep you apart.

There are, and will be, others. That person may have been occupying more space in your life than you realized — space that can be better filled with new people and interests. In the end, it’s best for both of you to just leave them in peace. It’s what I ended up doing, and it’s worked out really well.