I’ve railed about my dislike for what passes for pop music these days, a common side effect of getting older, so it’s probably not surprising that I don’t know much about the duo that goes by the name “Gnarls Barkley”, but I came across this video that features one of their songs and I was impressed. I’m not sure if it’s the official video of the song or just uses the song as a background to the video, but it manages to illustrate a feeling I can recall from the many breakups I’ve had over the years. Warning: It’s definitely not for the squeamish, but as an illustration of heartbreak it’s unparalleled:

It’s odd. The memories this video brings back are painful, but also worthwhile. A lot of what made me the man I am today was learning how to overcome the sense of loss and rejection that came from having a relationship break up. I had my fair share of girlfriends over the years before I got married and all of them, save for one, broke things off with me instead of the other way around. In my younger years I often failed to see the end coming and was thusly taken by surprise, but it taught me how to recognize the signs that things weren’t going well for later relationships.

As painful as they were, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. Well, maybe one or two of them, but most of them taught me a lot and made me a better person. That makes them valuable and worthwhile in spite of the pain.