What do you do when the one that got away comes back? What if you had the chance to rekindle the romance that you fervently longed for? If you choose to take that chance, you might get a real shot at the love you always wanted and you will finally stop wondering what could have been. And if you choose to let that chance pass you by because you are afraid of getting hurt again, the decision may haunt you for years to come.
If you decide to give it a chance, you will have to do things differently this time around. When you reunite, you will have to re-learn everything about him, especially what happened when you were apart. You have to ask a lot of questions and you have to ask the most important question: why he got away.
Ask about his present life, ask about what changed about him, and ask him how he sees you now. Try to get to know the person he is and the person he wants to be, try to determine if there’s room for you in his current and future plans, and if he is ready to make it work this time.
Recognize that you will not be able to pick up exactly where you left off and that’s OK. Maybe it’s better to leave the past behind and start a brand new chapter and make new memories, but this time you might want to take things slow. People change over time, and you should test the waters before you jump in with both feet. Ask yourself if he is the same person you fell in love with? Does he still have the same values and the same standards in life? Is the spark still there? Is he aware of how much you’ve changed? Is he willing to make up for all the lost time?
When he comes back, make sure you are on the same page and speaking the same language. Make sure that if the same circumstances that led him to go away the first time resurfaced he would stay, make sure he knows you are making an exception because you believe in what you had, you believe that he is different, and secretly you never completely gotten him out of your system.
There is a certain charm and beauty about second chances and reunions. You feel like even though you thought you knew him and understood him, there is still so much to learn. It feels like he is a different person but it’s mainly because you’re different, the timing is different, the energy is different and your heart is different.
I think second chances are magical. I think we need to get tangled-up in our thoughts before we truly understand them, our hearts need to get all flustered and confused before they crave tranquility, our eyes need to get washed away with tears before they can see things clearly, and sometimes we lose important people so we can learn how to appreciate them. I think this is what second chances are all about; they give you the opportunity to redeem yourself, to connect the dots you missed, to understand what the universe was trying to tell you and to rewrite a certain part of your story with a different ending.
When the one that got away comes back and you’re not sure if you should let him in again, look inside your renewed self for the answer, listen to your wiser gut and your stronger heart, because they will tell you if he is here to stay or if it’s only a matter of time before he goes away again.
