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sushmita's avatar

I would also highly recommend the movie Someone Great (2019), it touches on a similar theme albeit with a cliche screenplay. I have only ever watched it thrice, it is my ritual breakup movie.

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Alina Peng's avatar

Thank you for the rec!! adding to my list now <3

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ally 🌻's avatar

Felt like you took us on a journey of your relationship and it was heartbreaking and beautiful!

🌻

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Sow's avatar

holy crap, this was an unexpectedly emotional read, but loved every bit of it. my heart tightens, but I am hopeful. and that Carl Jung quote was everything.

there is so much of comfort in knowing that so much of what we feel, those big feelings, are also universally felt.

thank you for sharing, this was so lovely to read <3

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Alina Peng's avatar

Thank you for reading Sow <3

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rish vee's avatar

this was achingly beautiful, and all too familiar. I’ve felt the opposite tugging of boats in my 5yr relationship too, it’s a confusing and frustrating feeling.

I hope you feel reprieved after the breakup, but not enough that you wont crave a similar love again. thank you for putting your heart’s notes into real words :)

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Alina Peng's avatar

Thank you for reading Rish, wishing you all the best in your relationship :')

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soran's avatar

thanks for sharing, and that tiktok is so much like the last scene of la la land??

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Alina Peng's avatar

thanks for reading :-) my heart will never recover from that scene

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Matt Huang's avatar

I had a 3 year relationship end 4 months ago, and this hits way too close to home. Something about that silent, imperceptible falling out of love is just so devastating. You're both trying to make it work, but deep down nobody wants to admit that things have changed. Or maybe they were always like that and we just chose to ignore the things that didn't add up. Suddenly you're trying to rebuild your life without this person who at one point in time was everything to you.

Either way, thought this was really well written, so wanted to drop a comment - hang in there and know that things will get better with time :)

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Alina Peng's avatar

Thank you for reading Matt, wishing you all the best with your healing too :)

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sushmita's avatar

Alina, my heart aches but also feels comforted with the way you have written this piece. You have found the perfect words to capture this very emotion I fear to feel, but I hope you are doing well since the ending of that relationship. Wishing for love to find you, not just in the form of another person but maybe as a 2 am ice cream save or a weekday dinner with your friends you didn't know you needed. Sending love, thank you for writing :)

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Piers Eccleston's avatar

Beautiful writing. Sounds like a lucky escape though, even if it doesn’t feel like that just yet! It also sounds like you were in a classic anxious/ avoidant attachment pairing. If you’re not familiar with attachment theory, you might find it a rewarding and possibly life-changing exploration. All the best to you and thanks again for this heartfelt piece

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Jessica Pei's avatar

it’s tough being this honest with yourself and the world ❤️ personal essays always hit the hardest — this inspired me to write more about my own experiences! sending you good vibes ✨🫶

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Alina Peng's avatar

honesty is freeing <3 thank you for reading, would love to read your work as well!

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Jessica Pei's avatar

it really is 🥹 this is what’s been on my mind lately 💗 https://open.substack.com/pub/introspectivesfinest/p/on-walking-the-sincere-path?r=15eygw&utm_medium=ios

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Annie's avatar

so poignant + gentle. thank you for sharing & I hope you’re finding healthy ways to heal x

this particularly hit home for me - ‘The thing is, when there’s distance between you and your inner world, there’s inevitably distance between you and those you love. Mine had grown into a chasm.’ beautifully reflective

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Alina Peng's avatar

Thank you for reading Annie <3

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Christian's avatar

As someone else said, "heart breaking and beautiful". After ending 10 years with someone, you just put a rock in my stomach. Thanks for the post.

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Aleeza Jahan's avatar

you beautifully captured the essence of something ending not because of an explosive end but a slow fade of misalignment and losing oneself. its so powerful and not talked about nearly enough. I love how you wrote this :)

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ada’s notes's avatar

i also recently broke up with a long term partner with whom i grew up, and the way you encapsulated all the feelings i’ve been bottling up these past months made me genuinely cry of relief. thank you

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Erica Hu's avatar

This is beautiful!! 💕

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Anjali Sreedharen's avatar

This is so beautifully written.

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Sam's avatar

this is beautiful.

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