When we get our hearts broken, it often seems that the first thing that friends, family, co-workers, etc. will say is, "Ah, well there are plenty of fish in the sea!" Even Beyoncé says that no one should ever think that they're irreplaceable.
I agree and disagree.
Sure, it's an option for most people to pick their head up and move on to their next love interest. I advise my friends all the time to stay out there in the game, as you can never plan when and how you will meet the person that you may have a long-term partnership with. It's important not to be afraid of going outside your comfort zone.
Certainly, a relationship can end and both people are quickly interested in someone new. It happens, and as those memories and feelings once shared with a partner fade into the past, they can be replaced. If you meet someone and develop strong feelings for them, you'll likely not feel the same love you had for an ex, as they could possibly be stronger feelings. For me, I see that if a couple breaks up, there is a reason behind it, one way or another even if it wasn't an amicable split. In all of my experiences with love, lust, crushes, and everything in between, each sort of "thing" differs from one to the next, which also brings me to the other side of my argument.
Now, if your relationships are much different from each other and unworthy for comparison, (DISCLAIMER: It is not healthy to compare your relationships, romantic or otherwise) then the likelihood that any or all of them could be truly replaced is next to impossible.
"What about soulmates?" you ask.
In my opinion, I believe that, yes, my husband is my soulmate. But so are my best friends, and so was a fella I knew before my husband. The way I see it, a soulmate is an individual that you connect with on a spiritual level. For example, my friend Kandice is absolutely a soulmate of mine. We grew up in the same medium-sized Indiana town for a good chunk of our childhoods. We lived less than 5 miles apart and she went to a nearby high school which is a rival for my tiny school. Kandice and I have figured out that our paths could have crossed in about 20 different ways, but they way we met was actually because my husband's friend (Tom) is married to one of Kandice's best friends (Lori), a group of extraordinary young women that I am grateful for every day of my life, which also validates to our group that Dylan and I, Tom and Lori, and all these friends were destined to be in each other's lives.
Yes, I have more than one soulmate and you probably do as well. People can be replaced, in many cases. If you had a shitty friend or significant other, but now have great friends or a loving significant other, that person was replaced, no doubt.
If for some reason my husband and I were to get divorced, (which doesn't seem possible, but you never know) there is a definite chance that either one or both of us would have other relationships and possibly another marriage afterward. I don't believe that Dylan would ever be able to be replaced in my heart, no matter what would happen. No matter if I had a different partner. He has helped me learn about myself and grow into the woman I have become, which will absolutely never be done in the same way by another person.
People come and go in life and the best advice I can give is that you have to learn to let go of what is gone and embrace what is coming you way to be fully, truly happy.
