“Sometimes, you must break up to remember why you should be together.”
Here’s what people revealed:
1.
“We met in church youth group in 1986 and started dating the next year.
He was my first boyfriend and my first kiss.
I met someone else and got married a few years later, and then we divorced in 2020.
After the pandemic, I was looking for someone to hang out with.
He called a couple of weeks later, and we were back together within a month.
That was three years ago, and things just keep getting better.”
We’re both in our mid-50s now and having a blast making up for lost time!"
absepa
2.
“My wife and I separated for a little over a year after about four years of marriage.
We both saw other people at that time, and the divorce proceedings began.
I called off the divorce, we reconciled, and we have been married for over 20 years.
I would have regretted the divorce for the rest of my life.”
Anonymous
3.
“My husband and I have been together since 2003.
He is the other half of my heart.
He is my home, and I knew it the moment I met him.
I even had trouble remembering how to say my name when we were introduced.
He proposed in 2006, but life is not a rom-com.
Because of a brief, disastrous, and young first marriage, I was a commitment-phobe.
“Long story short, he drank, and I didn’t.
I told him I would not watch him destroy himself, us, or myself with his drinking.
He was welcome to do it on his own, but I wouldn’t stick around and watch.
I probably waited too long, but I had my baggage and did my best.
It was a battle for him, and I supported him in every way and always will.
I’m just glad neither of us has to wonder what if.”
“We met when we were 16.
He was my trainer at a fast food restaurant where I was hired.
We had a big group of mutual friends, so we saw each other outside of work.
He was a great guy and funny.
I liked him immediately.
My strong feelings were too much for him.
“I refused to allow myself to see him as more than just a friend.
He asked if it would be okay if he came out with us.
I said yes, certain that we were destined to be just friends.
He wished me a happy birthday and kissed me.
We just celebrated our 31st wedding anniversary.”
bluehero265
5.
I (female) moved into a house with three guys.
I ended up dating one of my roommates for the duration of the lease.
I was 20, he was 23.
He wanted marriage, kids, the whole deal, for life.
I really wasn’t ready.
I was in college and knew I had so much life to live before settling down.
He was heartbroken and moved states away.
We got married in Vegas by ‘Elvis’ and eventually had one kid together.”
“Last year, our love became buried under life stress.
We loved each other so profoundly, but we decided to separate.
After 12 years of no contact, I contacted that former roommate/boyfriend.
We instantly connected again.
We have absolutely no regrets.
Each journey, each relationship, and each period was an incredible experience and equally as important.
It’s amazing where love can take you.”
rollerskates
6.
“We first got together when I was 20 and he was 21.
We were both in community college and knew we wanted to marry after we graduated and had steady jobs.
He got cold feet about it and broke up with me.
“I was devastated.
I had no clue what to do with my life and was beyond heartbroken.
A month later, he contacted me and explained why he panicked.
He said he realized that he had given up before we even started.
We sat down at a cafe and had a long talk.
He begged for my forgiveness and promised to marry me and start a family as we had initially planned.
We decided to get back together and moved in together a month later.
It took a good year to forgive him truly, but we were able to move past it.
Living together did have its ups and downs financially.
I was a breadwinner and often the only one working full-time while he was in school.
It was hard at times but well worth it.
He recently proposed, and we will be getting married next year.
I’m so happy we decided to get back together.
At the end of the day, you must choose each other, even when life throws you curveballs.
Love and hard work can overcome fear and uncertainty.”
“I was with my ex (same age) from 17 to 24.
We split mostly because he was an immature 24, and I wanted to be doing grown-up things.
Within two years, he got married and had a kid.
I met a new guy at 26 and had a kid of my own.
The new guy turned out to be even less grown.
Go figure, lol.
Fast forward to 48.
We talked all night.
We haven’t gone 24 hours without speaking or messaging since then.
He was divorced, and I wasn’t seeing anyone.
He’s still fun to be around but also a responsible adult.
I couldn’t say no to that!
We got married 18 months later and are celebrating our fifth anniversary soon.”
“My husband and I dated when we were in high school.
We stayed friends for years; he was one of my best friends.
We both ended up in serious relationships for six years.
Within the course of that year, both relationships ended.
We ran into each other a few months later, and we’ve been together ever since.
Over a decade and two beautiful kids later.”
“I came out late in life and dated someone eight years younger who started as a good friend.
This year is our fifth wedding anniversary.
Sometimes, you must break up to remember why you should be together.”
booklover32685
10.
“My husband and I met over 20 years ago on our first day of college.
We worked in the same office for our scholarship job.
He and I eventually married other people, and both of those relationships met swift ends.
Several years later, while living in different cities, we reconnected and haven’t looked back.
I love our story almost as much as I love him.”
“We met and started dating in 2010.
I had never met anyone like him, and we clicked right away.
He wasn’t thinking about marriage yet.
Needless to say, we weren’t on the same page and broke up.
We call that small stint ‘the dark time.’
We dated other people, went about our lives, and decided we were both miserable.
When we got back together, my expectations for my life were completely different.
Timeline didn’t matter as long as he was the person I got to be with.”
“We got back together around (Canadian) Thanksgiving and were engaged by New Year’s.
We got married in 2013 on the third anniversary of our first date.
Our oldest was born in 2014.
Somehow, four months later, he changed.
He got cleaned up, went to therapy, started meds, and took responsibility for everything.
“I don’t know what happened.
Maybe his frontal lobe developed?
Of my whole family and all my friends, my partner is the only one that did change.
The moral of the story: Sometimes, a breakup is the only way to fix things.
It will be OKAY!”
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
