Because so many of us carry shame, we have a tendency to personalize love’s leavings, triggered by the rejection and feelings of abandonment. But this is not always true. Sometimes it has nothing to do with us. Sometimes the one who leaves is just not ready to hold it safe. Sometimes they know something we don’t—they know their limits at that moment in time. Real love is no easy path—readiness is everything. May we grieve loss without personalizing it. May we learn to love ourselves in the absence of the lover.