Don’t let regret be the crux of our story. Don’t let regret be stronger than gratitude. Don’t wait until you lose something to appreciate it or understand its value.

Don’t wait till it’s over so you can think of starting again and making things right. Don’t wait till I give up on you so you can try to win me back. Don’t let it be a foolish game of winning and losing. Don’t let uncertainty be the essence of our relationship. Let’s not be known for how poorly we handle our relationship and how poorly we handle each other.

Because I’ve played that role before and I know how it ends, I’ve been that girl before and I know what it does to my heart, I’ve seen that movie before and the girl doesn’t really end up with the guy who lost her, she finds someone better, she finds someone who makes her realize even more how unworthy of love the other guy was.

Don’t reenact that movie, don’t be the person who lets the good girl go only to regret it after and beg for her forgiveness, beg for another chance and beg for her love again.

Don’t let it reach to a point where you have to beg. Don’t let it be that dramatic.

I often wonder why some people can’t just appreciate what they have now, why can’t they try to protect it while they can still hold it in their hands? Why do they have to let slip through their fingers to miss it? Why do they have to break something precious to understand that it will only hurt them?

Don’t hurt yourself trying to hurt me. Don’t hurt us only to discover that you can’t live with the pain.

Don’t wait till I’m gone to appreciate me, because when a girl like me decides to leave, she doesn’t really come back. She moves on and finds someone who doesn’t wait to lose her to realize how precious she really is.

Rania Naim is a poet and author of the new book All The Words I Should Have Said, available here.