Break-Up Survival Kit

I don’t know how many of you people reading this blog will ever need one of these, but I figured it might be helpful to someone, someday, and meanwhile it’s a fun diversion for me. :) Some of the items were suggestions from friends, and some just came naturally. Most of them would help in any emotionally draining situation, not just break ups. So, here are some things that you might want to have on hand if you sense some upcoming turmoil!

1. Laughter. Most terrible situations have a glimmer of humor (or at least sarcasm) – find it and hang on to it! You might just have to laugh at yourself if you’re having a hard time with this one. Here’s what I mean: when I was on the phone with my sister Rachel the night that I got the news, our call got dropped and I didn’t know it, so I kept talking. It was just like those commercials where somebody says something really important just as the call gets disconnected. I was trying to make sense of life with Rachel, not even sure what to say, wondering what God was thinking, and I said, “It’s just not fair!” That’s when the call got dropped, but I thought she was being quiet. Maybe she didn’t know what to say, either. So I tried to lighten the mood a little. “I mean, who in their right mind would dump me?!” Ha ha.
   Silence.
   More silence.
   “Right?”
   Silence.
   Finally I looked at my phone and realized I’d been talking to no one - what a huge relief! We had a great laugh over the incredible timing of that dropped call. :)
2. Music. You already know that music is important to me, so this isn’t a surprise. Here’s the playlist on my After the Break-Up CD.
   Say – John Mayer
   Bring On the Rain – Jo Dee Messina & Tim McGraw
   Anyway – Martina McBride
   I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
   So Deep in Love – Joel Auge
   Bring the Rain – MercyMe
   Hold On – Sarah McLachlan
   Life is a Highway – Rascal Flatts
   Life Ain’t Always Beautiful – Gary Allan
   Complete – Parachute Band
   What If – Coldplay
   Tonight I Wanna Cry – Keith Urban
   Stay Gone – Jimmy Wayne
   Someday – Flipsyde
   Bomshel Stomp – Bomshel
   I Am Free – Newsboys
3. Perfume. I owe this idea to Joy. She took me out to buy something just for myself, and I settled on Beautiful Sheer by Estee Lauder. It was a splurge, but it feels good to see it every morning when I brush my teeth, and it brings a smile during the day when I smell something wonderful.
4. God, the Bible, church, and prayer. I’ve gone back to the verses that have been important over the last few years, and kept track of the new verses that friends have mentioned lately. Church was pretty hard the first Sunday, but sometimes it hurts to do the healthy thing. God has shown me his love through friends who care wonderfully, and that helps immensely. It’s been a little hard to feel directly connected to his love, probably because I’m still feeling a bit lost regarding what’s next, and I don’t understand exactly what he’s doing. Prayer helps. My hope now is to spend some quality time listening and finding out what I should do in this season.
5. Reading. A friend recommended Loves Me, Loves Me Not: The Ethics of Unrequited Love and it arrived in the mail today. I’ve just read the introduction and already I’m looking forward to some helpful thoughts! I think it’ll be a great book for right now.
6. Movies. Stephanie and I went to see Meet the Browns at the dollar theater and it was the perfect light-hearted way to spend an evening. And then I watched Hitch the other night with other friends, and it was funnier than I remembered. :) Good movies can be great therapy!
7. Family. Spent time with them. Felt better. Smiled. Got hugs. More hugs. And a few kisses. Family is always a good idea.
8. Sleep. I haven’t done enough of this lately, so this blog is wrapping up now and I’m going to bed. :)

I hope you don’t have occasion to use this list, but that’s not very realistic. We all go through crummy seasons. Hopefully we can help make them less crummy for each other. :)

Until next time,
Jen