It was our one-year anniversary and while I wasn’t expecting him to do anything too special for the occasion, I definitely wasn’t expecting him to dump me.
Here’s some back-story. It was a pretty common situation: even though I was moving to a different city for school, I didn’t want my summer fling to end and I spent my first year of university in a long distance relationship. It was tough, but we constantly texted and called each other and I went home to visit him every chance I had. Sure enough, we eventually made it through the year.
While at university, I told myself that I was having the time of my life but, in all honesty, I just spent my time counting down the days until I saw him again. It was hard to concentrate on school or enjoy the beautiful city to which I was a newcomer when I just wanted to be back home.
He didn’t enjoy himself either and, after a year, he wasn’t up for doing it again. I was heartbroken and disenchanted. Wasn’t distance supposed to make the heart grow fonder? Moreover, I was scared. I was going back to university single, and that, to me, meant that I had a sad and lonely year ahead of me.
To my surprise though, it has been absolutely AMAZING!
I am having the best year of my life and my breakup is largely to thank for that. It hasn’t been lonely at all; in fact my social life is now better than ever! I hadn’t noticed how having a boyfriend in a different city had caused me to distance myself from the friends that were right next to me. Thankfully, this experience has allowed me to reconnect with them. I can now fully enjoy girls’ nights and parties without constantly checking my phone, hoping for a text from bae.
I also have more time and money to spend on myself. Now that I don’t need to save up for dates when I go home, I have been able to check out cool events and restaurants in Victoria. I am finally enjoying the city to it’s fullest!
School is going great as well. I don’t find myself texting in class or putting phone calls before my homework anymore. It is also much easier to focus on my long-term career and life goals when I’m not worrying about whether or not they will align with someone else’s.
Being able to focus on myself this year has been incredible. Without feeling tied back home, I am now able to appreciate where I actually am. My relationships with my friends have improved, I am enjoying my surroundings much more and, without hesitation, I am taking advantage of opportunities that will help me reach my personal goals.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still a hopeless romantic and I’m excited to find my prince charming, but I’m not in a rush anymore. Taking a break from dating has taught me one really important thing: while relationships are wonderful, I don’t need to be in one to live a truly fulfilling life.