When I was a senior in high school, I fell in love with a guy who swept me off my feet in more ways than one. We bonded very easily and we were so good for each other. What could possibly go wrong? Our relationship had its ups and downs, and the biggest challenge was that it was long-distance. He was a freshman in college and went to school 300 miles away from me. We saw each other twice a month, and each time we jumped into each other’s arms and thrived in the moments that we actually got to spend together. Our relationship was absolutely beautiful and I would never change anything about it.
However, I totally underestimated those people who said, “College changes people”. I thought that this boy and I could conquer anything, because we were in a loving and committed long-distance relationship for almost a year and a half. He went back to school a couple of weeks before I did, and as an incoming college Freshman, I was starting a new chapter in my life-nursing school at Rutgers University-Camden. Our FaceTime dates on Sunday nights had become less and less frequent, our “good morning” and “good night” texts had become less enthusiastic, and the number of “I love you”s dropped significantly. We were growing apart. Trying my hardest to be blind to the fact that we were drifting away from each other, I held onto the relationship by a thread. Eventually, a week after my 19th birthday, he broke up with me. We sat at the park late at night and he told me that it was time that we go our separate ways. Back in that moment, I felt like my world was falling apart. I had invested everything I had into our relationship. It felt like I had meant nothing to him. I thought that he didn’t care about me at all. But, in hindsight, I realize that was not true, not even a little.
He needed to move on to the next chapter in life, and so did I. I was on my way to a successful career in nursing, and he was on his way to a different life. Waking up the next morning felt like a ton of bricks were laying on my chest, and I couldn’t stop crying. Never, ever tell someone that moving on from someone they were in love with is easy. It is far from it. I had to pick myself up by my bootstraps and move forward. I ended up making the Dean's List in my first semester of college and found new interests and joined clubs on campus. I spent more time with my family when I was studying my butt off, and I valued my friendships with my girlfriends and guy friends more than I ever have before. Moving onto a new chapter in your life helps you let the things that brought you down go, and allow the things that bring you up to come in.
This man will always have a special place in my heart and he will always be a part of me. I think about him and our relationship from time to time and smile, knowing that we had an amazing time together.
“Just because it ended, doesn’t mean that it wasn’t absolutely beautiful”.
— Taylor Swift
