Has anyone ever "take a break" from a relationship and then later ended the break and lived happily ever after?

Michael Jordan came back from retirement twice. Turns out that Ron Artest broke one of His airiness' ribs during a pickup game before his second or third comeback and he was never the same after that. It expedited the coming of Father Time.

Odysseus was gone for a long time, too I hear.

No. It doesn't happen. Taking a break is just a coward's way of how to end a relationship.

Yeah, it worked for me and know others where it worked. Happily married now with two kids.

Jimmy 600 wrote:

Seems to me like "taking a break" is always just delaying the inevitable. Has it ever actually worked for anyone here? By worked I mean you two took a break, figured some things out, then got back together and had a good relationship?

Yup. We tried to do long distance while I was at school, I developed feelings for one of the XC girls, broke up with my GF, dated XC girl, realized I made a mistake and then convinced the ex-GF to date me again. Ended up getting married. It's been about 5 years, and life is good.

I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted in life in that time period. It would be nice to have spared my wife the pain of the break-up and just stayed together, but the things I learned through that experience have made me a better partner.

I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted in life in that time period. It would be nice to have spared my wife the pain of the break-up and just stayed together, but the things I learned through that experience have made me a better partner.[/quote]

And got a lil strange while you were at it, am I right? Love how people justify their misbehavior. The

I didn't, but my brother did, and has been married to his wife now for 10 years

brutus beefcake wrote:

I learned a lot about myself and what I wanted in life in that time period. It would be nice to have spared my wife the pain of the break-up and just stayed together, but the things I learned through that experience have made me a better partner.

And got a lil strange while you were at it, am I right? Love how people justify their misbehavior. The[/quote]

What misbehavior?

Yes. (Not me, but a close relative.)

However, this is a small minority. "Take a break" usually = "Goodbye", not "see you later"

My wife had a coworker who was ready to marry her boyfriend but he was dragging his feet.

So she broke up with him.

He realized he missed and they got back together, married and had three kids.

The breakup was about 15 years ago and they are still together now.

If a girl wants to "take a break" it means she wants to fxck another dude. If a guy wants to "take a break" it means he wants to fxck another chick. Better to just cheat and internalize the guilt.

Yes. I have many friends who are happily married now despite having had a "break" at some point in their relationship. I suppose it's too early to say happily ever after, since they aren't dead yet, but it looks promising.

They all had the same story: Long distance at a fairly young age.

Jimmy 600 wrote:

Seems to me like "taking a break" is always just delaying the inevitable. Has it ever actually worked for anyone here? By worked I mean you two took a break, figured some things out, then got back together and had a good relationship?

Per the responses above, it certain can "work." However, most of the time, taking a break means ending the relationship. Don't worry son, there are plenty of fish in the sea!

My buddy did this and has been married for 10+ years. Most would say he is happily married, but his wife f*cked another dude while they were on their break and he has resented her ever since. She doesn't know it, but he hates her guts and is only staying for the kids.

We took a break/breakup not knowing if we would get back together. My dad had passed away (very aggressive cancer) and I went through some serious, unexpected depression that I didn't know how to deal with. Ended the relationship but leaving the door open.

After months of therapy and growth, feeling like myself again, I realized I did want my ex bf back and reached out. We slowly got back together over a year ago and it has been great. Moved in together too.

(Side note: we did sleep with other people but, at least in my case, they were comically bad experiences. Makes you appreciate the one you have even more.)

Ross and Rachel...

There are exceptions, but I've never seen it work. I've had a friend and a brother marry someone they had gotten back together with. Both of those marriages ended in divorce. People break up for a reason. Unless that reason is something that is temporary (the exception), it will still be there when they get back together. Usually best to move forward in life.

Speaking from experience, if both people recognize what went wrong and both people are willing to do the work to make the relationship succeed, it can lead to a healthy, loving relationship.

Dumbest mistake of my life (breaking up). I was insecure due to an age gap which I later realized didn't matter at all!

My wife and I have been married 32 years. Prior to that were had been in a relationship for six years. We took about ten months off before getting married after a bad patch. The time away was devastating to me. It was her choice. I was always in love with her and respected her decision. Eventually we reunited. If we had not had that time apart we would never have figured out how to get married and be happy. If you love someone, set them free. There is no guarantee they will return, but they might.