25.3 C
West Palm Beach
Saturday, June 10, 2023

Should you recycle your romance?

When to give love a second chance?
Get in the Game! with Alys and Victoria - A weekly column about love, laughter and Landing Mr. Right.

For some of us, recycling our trash can be our least favorite chore. Yet when it comes to recycling relationships, we’ve got a pile of former romances composting in our backyard. If your favorite break-up line is “I’ll be back!” chances are you’re a recycler.

You’re not alone. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith. Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel. Heck, even our most beloved Carrie Bradshaw and Big!

And then there’s the serial recycler:

Our friend dated a guy. They broke up. He got back with his X-girlfriend. He married her, divorced her, remarried her and divorced her again.

We weren’t surprised when he contacted our girl on Facebook and asked her to meet him for a drink. We knew he’d be back in her life at some point. He simply couldn’t resist the urge to recycle.

Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing something over and over again and expecting different results. Some would agree. One friend sums it up like this: if you take out a smelly bag of garbage, why would you ever bring it back into the house?

We’re not saying giving your romance a do-over is necessarily a bad thing, with one caveat. Never recycle hazardous materials! Toxic relationships that pose a threat to your physical or mental well-being belong in a landfill.

Should you recycle your romance? Before you start picking through your recycle bin of past relationships, ask yourself a few questions.

• What’s changed?
Sometimes the relationship failed the first time around because of outside influences or circumstances that got in the way. Perhaps it was a rebound or one of you was dealing with a crisis and not capable of giving the relationship your all. Yes, timing is everything.

• Are you doing this for the right reasons?
Do you hear yourself saying “I am so miserable without you that it’s almost like having you here?” Loneliness and boredom are not the reasons to be in any relationship – new or recycled. Check yourself into Relationship Rehab before you get back in the dating game.

• How eager are both of you to make the relationship work?
The most successful partnerships happen when both people are committed to giving the relationship the time and nurturing it needs. If one of you wants to rekindle more than the other, you should not recycle.

• Can you let go of the past?
You wouldn’t rehash the pain, anger and disappointment of your last relationship with someone new you are dating (we hope). The same thing holds true for a recycled romance. If you aren’t able to forgive, forget and start fresh, you must move on.

And just remember that when it comes to finding the one, he or she is out there. After all, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

[sam_ad id=”47″ codes=”true”]

 

 

Latest

Lake Worth Art studio helps save the planet one mural at a time

Some recent window honors Greta Thunberg (Think Globally) and two local scientists.

Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark comedy, ‘Top Dog, Underdog,’ portrays a universal predicament

Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark comedy, ‘Top Dog, Underdog,’ portrays a cultural and universal predicament. The play is at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Art with a retro vibe at new pour your own taproom

Mural by Pensacola-based artist Morgan Summers adds to the fun at Garden District Taproom.

Boca travel agency books TV’s ‘The Bachelor ‘couple

Leslie Tillem-Doniger is set for major national attention with a new NBC pilot called, “The Extra Mile Club.”

Newsletter

Get "The Weekly," and be in the know of the best of West Palm Beach in your in-box, plus occasional alerts when we publish major stories.

Must Read...

Trojan Rocking Horses to gallop downtown West Palm Beach

Finnish designer Marco Casagrande will monitor, supervise, and design the horses.

Mural by Emo pushes public transportation in the Palm Beaches

Local artist Eduardo Mendieta painted the mural on the roof of the TPA building.

El Camino revs up The Square with a bright mix of fun, food & tequilas

The new spot serves lunch, dinner, weekend brunch and two daily happy hours.

Charlie & Joe’s at Love Street is a ‘touchdown’ in the heart of Jupiter

The restaurant is a culinary compound with the community in mind.

Jennifer Wesley and the ‘Alchemy’ of simple things in life

Jennifer Wesley of Alchemy Juice Co. & Market is a woman of substance.

Lake Worth Art studio helps save the planet one mural at a time

Some recent window honors Greta Thunberg (Think Globally) and two local scientists.

Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark comedy, ‘Top Dog, Underdog,’ portrays a universal predicament

Suzan-Lori Parks’ dark comedy, ‘Top Dog, Underdog,’ portrays a cultural and universal predicament. The play is at Palm Beach Dramaworks.

Art with a retro vibe at new pour your own taproom

Mural by Pensacola-based artist Morgan Summers adds to the fun at Garden District Taproom.