What’s one thing you know now that would have saved your younger self a lot of pain?

If there’s one thing I wish I could go back and change, it would be the partners I chose to share my life with.

Looking back, I can see how much pain I could have spared myself if I’d understood the difference between loving someone and being loved the way I deserved.

I spent too many years believing that if I loved someone enough, tried hard enough, or gave a little more of myself, things would eventually get better. I overlooked things I shouldn’t have, forgave things that hurt me deeply, and sometimes stayed long after my heart was telling me it was time to leave.

The hardest part is realizing how much of myself I lost along the way. Years I can’t get back, tears I didn’t need to cry, and pieces of my confidence that took a long time to rebuild.

I wish my younger self had known that love isn’t supposed to leave you feeling lonely, unimportant, or constantly questioning your worth. A relationship should bring comfort and security, not become the very thing you need healing from.

But I can’t go back and make different choices. All I can do is acknowledge what those experiences cost me and appreciate the woman I’ve become despite them.

If I could sit across from my younger self today, I’d take her hand and tell her to be more careful with her heart. I’d remind her that she doesn’t have to settle for someone simply because she loves them.

Because choosing the wrong person doesn’t just break your heart. Sometimes it changes the course of your entire life.

And that’s something I wish I’d understood a long time ago.

With love
©️Suzy Bourget
suzybourgetauthor.ca