This one’s dedicated to someone I love dearly. A girl who’s beautiful – both inside and out. I only wish she would realize it someday.

“People always leave”, proclaims Peyton Sawyer. And perhaps that’s true. But what’s also true is, sometimes they come back.

I’m sure each of us has had an old fling or lover who came back, or wishes to come back into our lives. I don’t know about you, but I always tell myself never to go back. Of course, what I tell myself and what I actually end up doing are sometimes two different things.

When an old fling showed up at my front door with a bag of fries as a peace offering, I couldn’t turn him down. When an old lover called and told me how much he missed me and wanted to see me, I found myself giving in. I allowed myself to go back. Sometimes just for a day. Sometimes for a few weeks, or months.

None of these ‘comebacks’ ever lasted. But I did learn a very valuable lesson: there’s no saving an old relationship. The way I see it, old relationships are like stale fries. There’s no doubt the fries were absolutely delicious to begin with. But at some point, the fries went stale. They get all dry and the flavor is lost.  And as much as I try to make these fries taste good again – microwaving, re-frying, adding more salt and sauce – the reality is that once fries have gone stale, they can’t be brought back.

It took a lot of courage for me to finally let go and come to a realization that my old relationships can’t be rescued. But you know what? It’s okay. There are plenty of delicious, freshly-cooked fries out there, waiting for me to enjoy. After all, life is too short to eat stale fries.

#Fry-tip: If you’re not sure what to do with left-over stale fries, here’s an idea: http://griffinshoneycom.fatcow.com/wordpress/?p=5501