It was just a matter of when

It was always going to hurt.

It was always going to end. 

It was just a matter of when. 

The loss of a loved one, the death of a beloved family dog, the end of a romantic relationship - the hit is deep, the hit is hard, and the pain is real. The end is inevitable, it’s just a question of when it is going to make its bitter arrival. 

As a realist, accepting the end is the most important part of the beginning for me. Recognizing and committing to the hurt that will eventually come is necessary. However, despite entering every situation with eyes wide open, the end always comes. In waves of sadness, resistance, grief, and hurt. I try to avoid it, fight it, and rationalize it. I read these three statements over and over in an effort to embrace the outcome that always comes. 

There’s no such thing as a happy ending. If things were happy, they wouldn’t end. Every situation will end badly otherwise it wouldn’t end at all. When we create space for new love, we must also ask, can we handle the void that will forever exist when love no longer does?