Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The story of a couple who meet, fall in love and break up.
Their break up is so painful they both decide to undergo a procedure that erases all memory of their relationship.
After their memories are erased they become strangers and go their separate ways.
But they meet a second time and are instantly attracted to each other, as if meeting for the first time.
The movie ends there, suggesting they fall in love all over again, despite their past.
The whole thing- falling in love, meeting a second time and being given a second chance- is appealing on many levels.
Most people have one person they wish they could have a second chance with.
A past relationship that was electric and exciting and passionate that you wish you could do it all over again. Even if there was some bad mixed in with all the good.
No relationship is ever perfect and every couple encounters problems and misunderstandings. People change, circumstances change and feelings can change, too.
And a history that took months and years to build up, can all fall apart as easily as a sand castle being washed away by the tide.
You might try and save it. You grab your bucket and add more sand.
And things are good again. Maybe not as perfect as before but there’s still a lot of good left so you both hold on.
But the issues and the tide will reappear again. And unless both people are trying to fix it, you realize you can’t do it alone.
The whole situation can seem impossible and overwhelming. And sometimes it’s easier to walk away when you feel hurt, even if you love someone.
But after some time has passed, you start to miss the other person and maybe even wish you had a second chance.
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But what if all your bad memories- every fight, every lie, every hurtful word ever spoken – were all erased.
What if you met again as strangers without a past.
Maybe this time you would both be different.
Maybe if enough time had passed and if your experiences had changed, maybe you’d both be better.
Maybe. Or maybe erasing the past wouldn’t make any difference at all.
Don’t mistakes teach us what not to do next time and how to be better?
How would we know what to do differently if there were no past to learn from?
Maybe a second chance with someone wouldn’t be wonderful at all.
To go through the hurt and pain of breaking up all over again? No one would ever choose that.
And what if the other person walked away without a fight. Or they treated you badly the first time?
If they really loved you, wouldn’t they have tried harder and treated you better? Would it be any different the second time?
It takes mutual love and respect and the effort from two people, to build the relationship and to protect the sand castle.
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These are all just words and words don’t really mean anything unless the person who they are meant for actually reads them.
And even if they read them, there are no magic words that can change the past and make things work. Not even “I love you,” not even “I’m sorry,” and not even “I really wish we could start over again.”
Love isn’t always enough and some things were just not meant to be.
What does matter is finding someone who won’t give up on you. Even after you’ve messed up.
Someone who is as passionate about you as you are about them.
Otherwise, all you end up with is a pile of useless fucking sand.
“If you love something, let it go.
If you don’t love something, definitely let it go. Basically, just drop everything, who cares.” – B.J. Novak
I Love You, by Banksy, canvas print.
Miss Moneypenny Naked 
The problem is that you don’t get to try again knowing the past. You are the same people and will do the same sorts of things. The power is knowing this and, yet, still choosing to do it all over again because it would be worth all of the pain.
If you haven’t already, I suggest reading “Eloisa to Abelard” by Pope, as well as checking out the real-life history of Héloïse d’Argenteuil and Pierre Abélard.
This is by far your best one so far
Thank you, my dear.
MUAH. Xoxo
I swear we are twin souls.
This made me cry because I’ve written the same thing in my mind over and over… About the same man… For 4 years….
And he broke it … Nothing will ever be completely right again.
I wish for that total erasure… Never knowing what it felt like so I can’t miss it.
I don’t think I’d be happy with swaths of memory missing. Took too much work to build up what I already know, the good and the bad.
And even without the memories, I still have the potential to make the same mistakes all over again…
And him not doing everything to win you back says a lot…