If you know, you know.
I actually have my own ‘didn’t go to Paris’ moment. Long story short, I had an opportunity to take a temporary job overseas at a very lucrative company (might I add). However, I turned it down, because I imagined I could be getting married within the period I’d be gone. Spoiler alert — he’s married now. Second spoiler — I wasn’t the bride.
It happens. I get it.
We’ve all had our Paris. Whatever the opportunity might have been: a job, a trip, a new chapter — that we passed up in the name of love. For someone we truly believed in. And while it might not have worked out the way we hoped, maybe… that doesn’t make it a mistake.
It just makes us human.
Because choosing love — even when it’s risky, inconvenient, or maybe even a little naive comes from a beautiful place. It means we weren’t afraid to care deeply. It means we were brave enough to prioritize connection, even when the world told us to be strategic.
We talk about the red flags, the toxic traits, the “I should’ve known betters.” But we don’t talk enough about the honour in trying. About the fact that giving love a real shot, even at the cost of a dream can be a reflection of how deeply we’re capable of feeling.
And yes, sometimes we look back and cringe. Maybe they didn’t deserve it. Maybe they let us down. Maybe we could’ve been sipping espresso in a Parisian apartment instead of crying in a Target parking lot. But those decisions? They shape us. And they teach us not just about them, but about us. They show us what we value. They reveal how much we’re willing to give.
So yeah, maybe you didn’t go to Paris.
Maybe you stayed.
Maybe you loved someone with your whole heart and maybe it didn’t last.
But that doesn’t mean you failed.
It just means you cared. And there’s nothing shameful about that.
Have your own ‘didn’t go to Paris’ story? We’d love to hear about the love you chose, the lesson you learned, or the opportunity you passed up — and how it shaped who you are today. Submit your story here or send us an email at [email protected]
Because sometimes, even when it doesn’t work out, loving hard is still something to be proud of.