"Well, I'm here to tell you that sometimes conventional wisdom is dead wrong. Three years ago, fresh off a painful breakup, I met someone who was supposed to be a temporary distraction. A way to forget. A classic rebound. Today, she's my wife, the mother of my daughter, and the person who taught me what a truly healthy relationship looks like."
"I met her in Vietnam, just two months after my move. She was everything my ex wasn't, calm where my ex had been chaotic, direct where my ex had been passive-aggressive, secure where my ex had been anxious. At first, I felt guilty. Wasn't I supposed to be grieving? Processing? Working on myself? But something interesting happened. Because I was already emotionally exhausted from my breakup, I had zero energy for games or pretense. I couldn't put up walls or play it cool."
A person relocated from Australia to Southeast Asia following a painful breakup, seeking escape and reinvention rather than love. Two months after moving, the person met someone in Vietnam who initially seemed like a rebound but became a life partner and mother to their child. Emotional exhaustion removed the energy for dating games, leaving raw honesty and openness that allowed genuine connection. The new partner contrasted with the prior partner by being calm, direct, and secure, meeting the person where they were emotionally. Vulnerability became a strength that enabled a healthy, lasting relationship despite conventional expectations to wait and heal.
Read at Silicon Canals
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