There”s an old saying called “Beware the Ides of March,” and it couldn”t be closer to the truth.
As students come and go, I”m reminded of how this month is difficult for me. I recall the unfortunate pain and misunderstandings I endured four years ago when I lost contact with someone I cared for. But I”m also reminded of the lessons I”ve learned as a result of this event.
Luis Torres
Argonaut
The date March 9, 2012, is forever etched in my memory, to the point where I remember wearing black jeans and a long-sleeved orange shirt and that the weather was dark, gloomy and cold.
I was reported to the vice principal”s office at my old high school and was told that I was no longer allowed to talk with a girl I knew because of a misunderstanding we”d had over multiple months.
Before our final encounter in the vice principal”s office, we didn”t speak for months after she turned down my offer to take her to our school”s homecoming dance. Being rejected wasn”t the issue – what bothered me was that the two of us didn”t speak afterward, even though nothing seemed to be wrong.
From my end, I felt that I was being ignored by her and simply took the weak route and asked people to get her to talk to me. Time flew by and eventually I made the issue worse by asking her through social media why we had not spoken.
The plan backfired, and ultimately led to our permanent falling out.
This was like a wound to my heart, because I had feelings for this person like I had never felt before. The sting lasted up to a year, when it really shouldn”t have affected me for so long.
The moment I realized she wasn”t going to speak with me should”ve served as a signal that I should move on. Friends told me to let it go, but I didn”t and continued to bother her.
I admit it wasn”t smart to approach my hostility through social media to get my point across. I would never allow myself to do it again.
I had to learn the hard way, but at least I”m not angry about what happened anymore and I”ve overcome this bad chapter of my life.
In reality, the two of us weren”t meant to be and that”s OK.
If I was given a chance to speak to this girl again, I would gladly decline the offer. Today, she”s no longer a part of my life, and the lesson I learned from our fallout motivated me to become a better man.
Those who experience something similar to what I went through would be wise to simply let it go, rather than allow the situation to get the best of them like I let it get to me.
Growth is an everlasting power people should continue to work toward. That”s what made a heartbroken person like I was in 2012 a much stronger person today.
Luis Torres can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @TheLTFiles