Now It's Her Turn

For almost the entirety of our post-middle school friendship, The BFF and I have flip-flopped back and forth between one of us being single while the other is off the market. Although we've both had significant others at the same time, we've never really been single together. Probably a good idea, otherwise the world might explode with our awesomeness (read: douchery).

Anyway, The BFF just ended things with her BFJO (FJO boyfriend), whom she began dating within the first month of us moving here. It's the end of an era, but also the start of some entertaining times ahead considering for the past two years, she has not experienced the fun (read: trauma) of dating in the city.

The path she's been on is actually fairly similar to what happened with me in college. By Halloween freshman year, I'd met The College BF and was from then on out off the market. I never got to experience college dating, which when you think about it was probably like dating here. I'd be hard pressed to choose which scenario is more alcohol-fueled, immature or douchey.

So when I moved to New York - newly single with zero casual dating experience - things were, um well, interesting. The BFF did her best to try and share some of the lessons she gained while she was single in college, but if you've learned anything about me, it's that I'm an idiot and learn things the hard way. [Note: See July archive for reference.]

Now that I'm the "expert" I will obviously offer plenty of unsolicited wisdom on the topic, but The BFF is a smart girl who will do fine. Oh, and the fact strangers are always professing their love for her due to her beauty won't hurt either.

Breaking up, though, is always life-altering. How traumatic the experience will be is usually based on how "natural" the ending was. When The College BF and I broke up, it was because we wanted different things - i.e. I wanted New York and he made it clear he never would. Since long-distance is the wrong distance, not to mention that I knew I needed to be single again before I eventually settled down, it was a fairly clean split that the distance helped facilitate. Oh, and the fact he landed another hardcore serious GF soon after I left...

Anyway, The BFF has suffered through worse endings to relationships (but she now has the upper hand in that, suckas!), and I've been very impressed (and proud) with her determination to do right by herself in this situation.

In the words of mothers trying to be hip everywhere: You go girl!