I met Oriana at a really tough time in my life.
It was October 2022. I had just gone through an intense and unexpected breakup with my fiancé and partner of 4 years. The shock of this breakup rippled through my entire being.
Instead of being compassionate with myself, I was stuck in a cycle of low self worth, asking myself what I did wrong and where I fell short. I thought, “If I could be wrong about this, then I could be wrong about anything.”
I signed up for online dating, but it was just too much to deal with. So I deleted the app and told my friends I am done dating for a while so I could focus on my healing.
The next week I met Oriana.
Oriana was my salsa teacher. She was very professional in class and there was absolutely no flirting.
After the class, we had tea together. We dove into conversations about morning rituals, failure, and creativity. To our surprise, the conversation lasted a few hours.
At the end of the evening, we booked our next class together and then proceeded to ignore each other for the next week. Neither of us wanted to admit that there were feelings.
Shortly after, Oriana and I decided to end our teacher-student relationship and step into a romantic relationship.
Even though we only dated for about 10 months, the time we spent together left a big impact on my life.
There were 3 generous gifts that Oriana brought into my life.
1. I gained confidence by witnessing Oriana pursue her own dreams.
When we started dating, Oriana was at the start of following her lifelong dream to become a singer. She signed up for a singing contest in the city and made it all the way to the finals.
Her voice is rich and captivating, and every time I watched her perform it was as if my inner child was watching too. After each experience, my heart felt more and more safe to look at areas in my own life where I could accept and follow my own dreams.
By saying yes to her big and bold dreams and allowing her light to shine, she templated the power of living true to your own heart.
(Here’s a link to Oriana’s Spotify in case you want to check out her music.)
2. She taught me so much about trusting my intuition.
Oriana lived her life in alignment with nature, and she practiced deep listening to her body.
This is how she explained it to me:
If something hurts in your body, you can ask your body what it’s trying to tell you.
To be clear I mean literally and outloud ask your body.
So I began to ask my body what it needed. And the crazy thing is, every time I did, my body would give me an answer that was exactly true.
This practice of communicating with my body opened me up to greater self-care, and as a result, greater self compassion.
3. There was a lightness that Oriana brought to my life.
Oriana helped me restore my faith in myself at a time when I felt lost.
She had a deep belief that the Universe is guiding her, and all of us. This softness was immensely powerful because it broke down the fortified walls of doubt and uncertainty I had built.
I was finally able to reconnect with the belief that everything is going to work out in the end.
Looking back with gratitude
Yes, the universe is full of changes. Some changes rock your world and challenge your resolve, but other changes can lift your spirits and bring you back to your heart.
I wanted to share this story because I am so grateful for Oriana and the time we had together.
I also wanted to share this story for anyone that might be feeling lost or heartbroken.
Yes, life is short and precious, but also life can be long and full of incredible surprises and people. And you never know when or where those people will find you.
Oriana and I are both dating other people now and I am happy to report the genuine care and kindness is still very much alive for both of us.
Thank you Oriana for the many gifts you shared with me.
Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!
Big love,
D
PS: A note to my fellow writers…
It’s a lot of fun to write, and you can write about anything you want. But when it comes to sharing sensitive content about real people—especially people you have had intimate or romantic relationships with—it can be tricky.
My guide through this tricky terrain is to ask the following three questions:
Is it necessary or helpful?
Is it honest?
Is it kind?
Just remember that some stories are not yours to tell. And also remember that there are some stories that are just for you. ♡
I absolutely loved the PS... Despite our tendency to think that these are our stories, there were indeed other people involved, and that deserves respect and care. However, there are times when it's necessary to heed the catharsis of writing and telling those stories from your personal point of view.