I had a telephone chat with an ex-girlfriend last night. Apparently her ex is now cheating on his recently-married wife who’s just given birth. To add masala mix to the spice, it’s with a young girl from his work place. Some Leopards just cannot change their spots…

It was the grandest wedding of all. So it has been throughout the years, the two of you, side-by-side, the perfect couple, sharing all of life's good times - and bad - as only two people in love can do.

That's the stuff of fairy tales and those sappy '50s and '60s television shows. This is real life and the two of you aren't Mr and Mrs Right. As a matter of fact, there hasn't been anything right about your relationship for a long, long time.

Welcome to Divorceville. Population: More than you would expect.

So now what do you do? You're in financial ruin, emotional distress, and overweight besides. Every day is a bad hair day. Life just doesn't get any better than this. Or does it?

Nothing is certain, definitely not relationships.

Sometimes you end up with a hair-raising trip on the roller coaster when all you asked for was a nice calm ride on the merry-go-round. The fact is, as long as human beings are the key ingredients in relationships, some relationships will, by necessity, end. No two human beings are the same at every stage of their life. Goals, needs and desires change with time, sometimes conflicting with the goals, needs and desires of the relationship partner.

If you wish, think of each relationship as a novel with a beginning, middle, and an ending. Sometimes the novel is good enough to warrant endless sequels. Sometimes not. Because a relationship ends, it does not mean you will never love again.

Pain and suffering are part of the program. Of course there's pain - how else do you learn to savor the good times? Of course your life is disrupted. How could it not be? You, however, have the ability within yourself to make your life better, despite the odds. Consider it a test... just around the corner is something newer, bigger, better. There is a reason why this has happened. Can you find it?

Looking for a lifetime guarantee? Buy an appliance. Want unconditional love? Get a dog. Ready to be realistic in a search for everlasting love? First, forget "everlasting" unless you're buying batteries. Accept the fact that people change and that sometimes those changes cause major upheavals in the lives of the people who love them the most.

You wanna know what's the hardest thing I've done in my life? Forcing myself to let go of someone I still love very dearly because she's moved on with her life. We're still friends, of course.

In this amusement park we call life,
there's a rollercoaster called love.
When you buy your tickets,
you take your chances on the ride you'll get.