I’ve been thinking lately about the ebb and flow of relationships, how much easier it would be if the people involved ebbed and flowed in unison.

That we don’t is understandable. Our lives are crazy full, our collective hearts in a constant state of break and repair. That we sometimes find ourselves in the same place at the same time, able to connect in a meaningful way, is a little bit of a miracle. Some of those connections will last a lifetime, but many of them won’t, and it’s okay. Sometimes we’re just passing through each other’s lives on paths that intersect (however electrically, however soulfully) but do not merge.

One of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes is “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” I guess that’s where we need to focus our emotional energy in those scary times when we so desperately want to flow into someone else’s ebb.

I was thinking about this recently, when I was missing someone, when I was deciding that maybe the relationship had run its course as they sometimes do, and the thought made me sad. I saw this tweet from Danielle LaPorte. “When you accept that the pain of letting go is part of the deal, your let-go pain will heal faster.”

I think that’s true, and I think I’d rather experience the pain of letting go (along with the magic of having been truly touched) than be the one who is safe and sound on the sidelines, my great, big, shiny heart undamaged… and untried.

What do you think?