“Thank U, Next” is a bop about self-love and moving on from broken relationships. In the opening verse, Ariana Grande reminisces on how she envisioned her relationships versus the harsh reality.
“One taught me love, one taught me patience and one taught me pain…”
If you’ve ever dated, you can relate to that line. It stings. Sometimes we disguise our pain in fake “self love” or “healing”. On the surface we’ve moved on. On the inside, we’re brimming with anger, regret and whatever else keeps us up at night. Thank U, Next addresses failed relationships head on. Instead of dwelling on what could’ve been, the song sets its sights on the future. Two years ago, I went through a terrible breakup- but in the moment I was so focused on my career that I didn’t take the time to really process what happened. It wasn’t until months later that I found myself unable to contain my rage. I was literally seeing red. Since then, my ex has done his best to make amends (boy bye 💁🏾♀️) but what lesson did he teach me? What lesson did I teach myself? What lesson did the Universe try to teach me years ago and I just ignored the signs?
I started speaking with a therapist years ago to help with general growing pains, but therapy really paid off during my breakup. I took a notepad with me to write down every time she read me to filth. My record keeping is impeccable and has come in handy so many times. Most of my fury wasn’t even focused on the dissolution of a relationship (and friendship)- it was the negligence in the aftermath that hurt the most. How dare you disrespect me so publicly but silently whisper an apology once you realized what you’ve done (again, boy bye). Teaching someone how to love and never reaping the benefits of your labor is unfortunate. Furthermore, the prickling sensation of heartbreak seemed so severe that I thought amends would never be possible.
There’s another version of this article that will never see the light of day. This is how the graphic looked:
I’m clearly still a work in progress but after reviewing notes from a breakthrough session, I decided not to publish the original article. There’s something to be said for women who bounce back from breakups seemingly unscathed. It’s been great getting to know Sydnei as a grown woman. I’ve learned more from myself than I ever thought possible. I now have a thorough list of deal break that I would’ve never adhered to three years ago. It feels good. It actually feels amazing. Now I understand that love doesn’t have to come with a hassle- we all deserve that!
Life is pretty wild but you have to keep pressing forward, always. Thank u, next!
