The Art of the Post-It Note

The Art of the Post-it Note

There is an episode of Sex and the City where Carrie gets dumped via Post-it Note. After she gave everything to the love of her life – or at least to her love of that season – she got dumped by a tiny piece of yellow paper that mockingly glared at her from her computer monitor. When Carrie shared her pain with her friends, they shared stories of their own breakup disasters to make her feel better. Miranda came in at a close tie with Carrie for worst breakup ever when she confided that she was once dumped by her boyfriend’s doorman. And even though those breakups were completely fictional, the truthful sentiment behind them is what makes them so memorable.

For some reason or another, the entire male population seemed to be absent the day that they taught breakup etiquette in school. They might not be the brightest bunch, but men are creative geniuses when it comes to the art of breakups. Most men try to avoid any confrontation when they break up with a woman. They might do it through a text message, a phone message, an email, or even a postcard from a vacation in Tahiti with the other woman. On the off chance that men have the courage to perform their breakups in person, they all give the same excuse. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

When we hear those words, we naturally want to shove a pad of Post-it Notes down our ex’s throats and kick them where it counts. However, it’s important to note that even though they are ridiculously stupid, most men are not complete liars. So when they say that the problem lies within themselves, there is no need to try to find a hidden truth. The problem wasn’t that your butt was too big or that your cooking was too foul. The problem is exactly what they said it was; the problem was, is, and always will be them.

There is no way to explain or justify exactly why men do the things that they do. The only thing that we can do is accept their actions for what they are. If a man cheats on you, it’s not because you were a bad girlfriend. If a man beats you, it’s not because you deserved it. If a man leaves you, it’s not because you are destined to be alone. Any man who would do any of those things has the same excuse. He is nothing but a worthless fool – and that it the last thing you need in your life.

Even though you want to beat the living daylights out of your ex before you throw yourself at his feet and beg him to spend the night, try to refrain from doing that. Instead, do what Carrie should have done and sit down with a pad of Post-it Notes. Make a list of every reason that the problem really was with him. Whenever you feel the urge to crumble, take a look at your handy Post-it list. And if that doesn’t help, just cut out the crotches from all of his pants before you return his belongings. That might not be a kind gesture, but neither was his decision to dump you.