M: Just recently, I saw on Netflix “Love, Guaranteed,” a romcom about a lady lawyer who took on a case of a guy who wants to sue a dating website for falsely promising love. Finding love is not easy. Breaking up is hard to do. There are no guarantees in any relationship. But we take the risk anyway and hope that our relationships last so we can have our happy ever after.
DJ: I agree. At times, I wonder why some people look at being in a relationship as a guarantee to happiness. Like almost all things in life, being happy still is a choice. One can still be miserable whether one is in or out of a relationship. If being in a relationship, for example, is already like being tied to an anchor that’s keeping a person from being his or her best, then it’s better to be single and unattached. That’s my opinion. It can be difficult to be weighed down by the clutter of things, relationships and situations that are not essential. Besides, an ending can be another beginning. Someone once said that the minute we choose to do what we really need to do, it’s a different kind of life.
M: Not all relationships turn out for the good of those who are involved in them. The key to avoiding relationship mistakes is to be more discerning when choosing a partner. One is certain to get the worst of the bargain when one enters into a relationship with the wrong person. If we’re wise with our money or our savings, we should be wiser when choosing the people we want to have a personal relationship with. But even being cautious with our money or our relationships is not a guarantee that we will not make a mistake or get hurt.
DJ: That is why to make the best out of a relationship, it’s good to be honest. It is okay to want out of a relationship. If love is gone, no need to drag the relationship on, cheat, or make things worse for himself or herself and the person one is dating. They might have lost the relationship but at least not the respect for each other. One still needs to have enough courage to tell it to someone’s face. If the relationship has come to an end, at least it’s with a period, not with a comma.
M: Handling delicate matters like matters of the heart should be done delicately. It doesn’t have to end with shouting matches or cold shoulder treatments. Instead of leaving things hanging, both parties should be decent enough to call it quits if things aren’t working out. Rather than deploy the hit-and-run approach, it’s better to lead off with the truth. As you said, the truth hurts but in the end we will respect each other for doing the right thing. Who knows, maybe one will even feel oddly relieved to know the truth. And if you’re happy that you’re out of a bad relationship, that’s not a guarantee everything will be smooth sailing. But at least, it’s a brand-new start.
DJ: We’re already in a stage in which our whole life isn’t ahead of us anymore. And with what this pandemic has shown us, nothing is guaranteed. Not life, not love, not the future. But there is one thing sure. If there is love, there is faith. And if there is faith, there is hope. And if we continue to have hope, nothing can be impossible.