Second Chances - guest post by Sarah Price
Oh Anne! How could you
possibly have let so many people persuade you to deny Frederick’s proposal and commit yourself to a future
devoid of your true love?
Isn’t that the question we ask ourselves while reading
Jane Austen’s Persuasion?
First loves do not often
evolve into life time partnerships. If they did, I’d be married to Jimmy Cline, the little blond hair boy that I “dated” in fourth grade. He kissed me by the mailbox after carrying my
books from the bus stop. That’s what happens when you
date “older” men (he was in sixth grade).
But hearts are meant to
be broken.
When he broke up with me
for Beth Whatever-Her-Last-Name-Was, I thought the world would end. It didn’t.
I cannot imagine my life
today if I had pined for him over the years, denying myself other experiences
in life and love. Would I have traveled? Would I have my two children? Would I
be a successful author?
Probably not.
Each broken heart adds
character to our own stories, helping us learn to love in a way that is
stronger and better each time around.
For Anne, however, her
story has a different ending.
She did pine for
Frederick and denied herself future courtships. When Frederick returned, her
heart broke all over again only to be rewarded in the end for her steadfast
devotion to the memory of their relationship from her youth.
