Breath out so I can breath you in. Go away...No wait...Please come back. Life is cyclical. Although cliche', when one door closes another one truly does open and what goes around certainly comes around. I had an experience today, which allowed me to see this and step into another person's shoes. We've all heard it before, the "it's not you, it's me" break-up excuse and I have certainly not been the exception. However, today I was the one dealing the pain rather than receiving it. And being the barer of bad news hurts almost as badly. A little over a month ago it was I who was in turmoil over the call that came a day too late. Now, it was I who was avoiding the phone and hoping that the person who was trying to reach me would get the hint and magically disappear. Telling somehow how you feel, when you know it's going to hurt, takes balls. And experience. I have learned that there is really nothing one can say to ease this fall. It's sort of like giving a shot. You know that you are going to inflict pain on someone else, but that they need it. So you gently tell them that "this is going to hurt" then you grip the syringe, pinch their skin, and on a count of 1-2-3 hold your breath and pierce the skin with the needle. When they wince, you look into their eyes, apologize and say that you are almost finished. Afterwards you put a band-aid over their sore and congratulate them on how well they handled the pain. Unfortunately you can't put a band-aid over someone else's heart nor can you really congratulate them on how well they dealt with the heart break. You just close your eyes and fall and hope that when it is your turn to be in their shoes it won't hurt as badly. I hope the day will come when I won't have to say "it's not you, it's me" nor will I have to hear it.