I loved writing this piece. It’s a different voice than what I usually go over. The narrator Gina is funny and dry, with a thin facade of keeping it together. I’m usually used to writing in a very ‘put together’ way that is lyrical and I guess lately, I’ve been feeling a bit tired of that. I wanted a narrator who was going to swear if she needed to or even find the humor in something as heart-breaking as a breakup. It was really comforting to speak in her voice and I’m curious if she’ll show up again in the future.
Believe it or not… I’ve gone through my fair share of breakups throughout my life, almost to the point where I’ve gotten the recovery process down to a tee. I’m not surprised anymore about the amount of crying that needs to take place, how much you need to depend on your support system. In general, it’s about creating a new lifestyle almost inorganically, though it is important to do so. For me, my mantra is “Reflection and distraction. Reflection and distraction.” Breakups are just a continual cycle of that. Sometimes you need to reflect on what happened to fully process it. Sometimes you need to distract yourself with fun and new things, because it’s also bad to dwell so long. Reflection and distraction. Rinse and repeat.
Also each breakup is different from the last. Healing ALWAYS take longer than you anticipate. But you do heal. It’s key to remember that.
I didn’t realize until after I finished writing it, that it reminded me of this video I watched years ago, titled ‘How To Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps!‘ It’s legitimately one of my favorite pieces of media and I’m still trying to decipher why it’s stayed with me throughout time. I think it’s because it’s surprising and hopeful, funny, but also really deep. I suppose the person in the video is also going through a breakup which sets them on this path of self-discovery. Often times when we do try to self-discover, we go through they superficial routes of accomplishing it. Whether that’s through losing weight or chopping off your hair. While those things can be important in transformation, the harder work is the stuff that is internal and those things take time.