I sent the below message to a friend exactly six years ago. It was the day after I met Deborah.
Hey, I saw your post about your break-up. Sorry to hear. I had a relationship end after 8 months back in the fall. It was my first one since my divorce (10 years ago!) Anyway, after being sad, really sad, I planned and booked a trip to Belize a couple months later. That made me happy because I like to travel. And all that stuff people posted about working out, focusing on yourself, etc, those are good things. I lost 10 pounds, read 10 books, traveled. And finally, all those dumb platitudes like not meant to be, someone is out there for you, are really annoying now, but you will accept them later. I just met someone yesterday and we seem to have a real connection. It just takes time.