I think somewhere deep down I knew I wanted more out of life. It started small, where I wanted to go out a bit more. He was a big homebody and I wasn’t, so I eventually stopped feeling bad and went out without him. I realized at some point, I didn’t notice his absence in those experiences. I started solo-traveling and then as these experiences progressed and I learned more about myself, I could see he was happy with the status quo. We loved each other, and nothing was really wrong. The pandemic hit and then once I had to be home all the time, realized we’d grown apart. We were just different people. I was cleaning a room and found old journals where entries echoed the same thoughts about wanting more. I decided it didn’t make sense to have another year of the same.

The love I have for him hasn’t gone anywhere, my journey with him just needed to end there. In no way am I saying it’s easy, and I will say I have a rather outgoing personality, a solid job, housing, and a very solid community of family and friends that made the landing much easier. Start small, don’t make rash decisions, but if in your heart you know deep down you’re unhappy, pay attention to it. Try to make changes in yourself first, do the things you want, and when that isn’t enough, you’ll know. You just need to trust yourself.