Closure happens right after you accept that letting go is more
important than projecting a fantasy of how the relationship
could have been. — Sylvester McNutt
It is far more difficult to let go of the illusion than the reality. We
hold fast to the fantasy of what could be and deny the reality of
our situation. Sometimes we get caught up in the romantic ideal
– the hope of “happily ever after”. We just cannot let that go.
Promises of change keep us hooked: “He promised he’d go to
AA.” “She swears she will stop seeing him.” “He was so sorry
he hit me, he promised to go to anger management.” “Sorry, no
salary increases again, let’s talk next year.” We have hope, so
we let bad behavior go, again. Some choose to remain in an unhealthy
relationship dynamic for fear of being alone, lack of resources
or not wanting to hurt the feelings of the other person.
Take off the rose-colored glasses. Go back to the baseball rule:
Three strikes and out.