the EX effect

Exes solicit all kinds of reactions when they see each other.
There's the "ah really, he was here? i didn't see him". And then there's the "please. let's not talk about it." Still, there's also the "did you see who he was with?! did you see what she was wearing?" and let's not forget the "ohmygosh, what was i thinking when i dated him?"

Last night I saw some pics of both my exes (I only had 2 boyfriends) and believe me, I had all sorts of reactions too but I ended up sleeping soundly because I didn't feel bad or sad about my exes anymore.

You see, my breakups were never okay. Unfortunately, my exes did not have the balls to break up with me personally. My initial reaction was to just completely erase everything. You know, like in the movie "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" (if you, my dear reader, have not seen the movie, go look for it. you won't regret watching it!)

Then the years passed, i got over my broken heart and got to thinking...you know...they weren't REALLY The Antichrist. We had some good times, too. And with every relationship, I always find that I learn a little bit more about myself. And no matter how awful the breakup was, there is still at least one positive memory to look back on at any given moment. There is still something to be thankful for - for having gone through that relationship.

SO i guess seeing, hearing about, or even smelling (by virtue of other people sporting the same scent) our ex tightens our chest for a bit. No matter how hard you try, the remnants remain. No matter how long ago, no matter how bad the break-up, no matter how traumatic the relationship, no matter how much we deny it, the memories of an ex can never be fully erased.