Dash of Sass: The Silver Lining of a Drive-By Relationship

Quote of the Day:

Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting gold. ~Arthur Yorinks

The Single Woman Says:

You know those relationships that come along ever so often in life that burst onto the scene with the power and intensity of a jet plane…only to limp out of the picture a couple of weeks later with less potency than a Radio Flyer with two missing wheels? The kind of relationship that if you blink, you miss it? The kind of relationship that sticks around less time than Gigli did at the theater? I recently experienced one of those “drive-by relationships,” as I like to call them, and it felt a little like getting hit by a semi-truck on the freeway and being left to peel myself off the pavement like the Coyote after one of his run-ins with the Roadrunner. It was over before it really even begun.  I’m still reeling a little from its sudden and anti-climactic finale. And though I had hoped that this guy had a shot at being my Prince Charming, as it turned out, he was just another warty toad in Prince Charming’s clothing. Oh, the classic fake-out! Like an oatmeal raisin cookie disguising itself as a chocolate chip cookie, he presented himself as one thing and turned out to be quite another. So am I angry, you might ask? Bitter? Heartbroken? Jaded? I am none of the above.

You see, I THOUGHT he had come into my life to help me fulfill a goal on my Vision Board (“I will find love”), but in the end, he actually helped me fulfill TWO goals (“I will wake up earlier in the mornings” and “I will lose five pounds”)! Let me explain. Since I am my own boss and set my own schedule, I am really bad about staying up way too late, then sleeping in til around 10:00 a.m. It has been my goal for some time to get on a better sleep schedule, going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. I have also had five pesky pounds that I’ve been trying to get off since Gigli actually was in theaters, and no diet or exercise program I tried ever worked. That is…UNTIL my frog in Prince Charming’s clothing came along. You know how when you have a new crush, your stomach is filled with constant excited, nervous butterflies? Well, because of those butterflies, my appetite waned and I had the energy of Honey Boo Boo on her pixie stick, Red Bull, and Mountain Dew regiment. I started eating less, moving more, and waking up every morning by no later than 8:30 a.m.! Thus the fulfillment of not one but TWO goals on my Vision Board! Two birds, one stone….Two for the price of one…. “It takes two to make a thing go right”…. and all that. Now you might think I’m off my rocker for being excited that I DIDN’T find love, and call me crazy all you want, but I didn’t have to even consult my Silver Linings Playbook to figure out what I DID find…which was PROGRESS. He wasn’t the great love of my life, but he did (indirectly, albeit) motivate me to become greater! More disciplined. More structured. More energetic. More focused. All traits that can only serve to prepare me for my ACTUAL Prince Charming. See how that works, my friends? There is a silver lining in EVERY situation (even a drive-by relationship!) if we are willing to look for it.

Moral of this somewhat disjointed and screwball tale? Even the darkest, stormiest, most threatening cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes it hides a sunny day on the other side. But sometimes it shows up for no other reason than to teach us to dance in the rain. NO ONE who exits your life leaves you empty-handed. Everything has its purpose – even if it’s not the one you expect. Not everything is as it initially appears. So if you bit into the cookie expecting chocolate chip and found oatmeal raisin instead, realize that the chocolate chip might be what you WANTED, but the oatmeal raisin is what you NEEDED. Every person that’s not the right one comes into our lives to prepare us for the right one. Or to simply help us become a little more “right” ourselves. Sometimes what look like great big love is really a great big lesson. Accept it for what it is, forgive it for what it’s not…learn what it came to teach you and move on with gratefulness in your heart.

As for me? I like to think that my oatmeal raisin relationship motivated me to lose those five pounds so when my chocolate chip cookie relationship comes along…I’ll be free to indulge. J

 

2 Responses to “ Dash of Sass: The Silver Lining of a Drive-By Relationship ”

  1. Rayven
    November 25, 2013

    I know this is an old post, but it was sooooo what I needed to read after ending my relationship. Thank you so much!

  2. Lakeisha
    January 9, 2015

    I love this!! I just got out of one of these “drive-by relationships “. And though I’m not sure what the lesson is yet, I know it will show itself one day. I thought he could be a great love, but I’m thankful the good Lord took him out of my life. Your stories are inprirtional and really put things in a different light. Thanks for your help

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Something wonderful is on the horizon
Turn Toward the Sun CoverLife doesn’t always look the way we want it to look. In Mandy’s upcoming book, Turn Toward the Sun: Releasing What If and Embracing What Is, you’ll find encouragement to live in the moment, sit with your experiences, and trust God with the unknown.
Preorder from Baker Book House for 40% off and free shipping!*
*US shipping only