February holds a different kind of anniverary for me. When the icy part of winter returns, and the endless cycle of melting and freezing creates a thick, unfriendly crust on top of the dirty snow, I remember the last relationship I was in that went on too long. This is because, in 12 short days, I’ll mark, as I do every year, the day when I woke up and started to put plans in motion to leave. In the end, it’s the leaving that stays with me, that feels important.
When I put out the call for answers to this roundtable, I wasn’t sure how many people would want to share something so vulnerable even if it is tucked away in the A+ section, if anyone would want to talk about staying too long, or if they would not want to look back, not write about it, leave things the way they are. I was blown away, grateful, awed that 12 of us here at Autostraddle wrote about this topic. I hope that if you need this today, that it brings you some comfort, or whatever you may need. We’ve all been there, lonely and worried about what it means to leave the familiar — but we are not alone when we share our experiences.
Thank you for being a steward of this space, for being a member, for being here with us.
Nicole
