Heartbreak as Fait Accompli

 

fait accompli - noun - a thing that has already happened or been decided beforehand, leaving the affected with no option but to accept it (Google).

There are aspects of life that are so commonly experienced that they should be filed under the nomenclature of Fait Accompli. Heartbreak is just one of those things that most of us who offer up our vulnerability like a ritual sacrifice are fated to encounter at least once. But how do we survive if the miscreant manages to keep on returning like a disliked relation who continues to land on our doorstep without prior invitations? It isn't easy, but it is doable. 

Last night, I called an old friend of mine who dates back forty years, an elegant woman who is in her late eighties, whom I once supervised when we both worked at Group W Satellite Communications in Manhattan. Mu is one of the few women who is timeless. Freely floating in a lake of youthful looks and demeanor, she just can't seem to be moored to any chronological category or stereotype, which is why she and I became fast friends in the first place despite a twenty-five-year age gap. What we both have in common is that we are terribly addicted to love or just romance. Mu, the epitome of white privilege due to her father's wealth as a successful Californian entrepreneur, was once included on the A list in Hollywood and Paris, attending Princess Grace of Monaco's wedding as well as other chic events reserved only for the elite. As she has always owned the poise and beauty of an Audrey Hepburn, she can brag that she once had the names of many moguls scribbled on her dance card. Needless to say, she has had her heart broken more than once even though I'm sure that she has broken more than one or two herself. Anyway, in our phone conversation, she recalled the succession of heartbreaks that I have had over the years and asked me how I have been able to overcome them. Not in the mood to return to the past, I just said, "I've just rolled with them." Translation: I have picked myself up, dusted myself off, and kept on going, but not before writing a poem or song about the person, which definitely helps. Vindictive? Sort of. Honest? Yes! 

 The truth is if you are a creative person, you can shift gears pretty easily after heartbreak even though the fissures and dents in the car can't easily be repaired. If the car still runs–meaning you are alive and well–you can continue the journey, thankful for the gas in the engine, a.k.a. the memories that are sweet as opposed to bitter, that keeps the vehicle on the road. 

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