“If you want this relationship to last, you cannot buy him those Vuori pants.” A piece of advice given by a friend in June of 2023. Some backstory please. It is 2020 and I have a Pandemic boyfriend. We matched on an app and he initiated becoming exclusive right away. I figured it was because he was so excited about me, about us. Later on, he (shouldn’t have) shared that it was for health reasons, limiting the risk of infection.

Anyway, he planned a getaway for us to Aspen. At that time, I had rarely and barely been taken on a trip by a boyfriend so it was kind of overwhelming, in a good way. As a thank you, I bought him the Vuori Ponto Pant. Cozy. Comfy. Perfect gift. He wore them a ton on that trip. The relationship ended a month or two later, due to a lack of alignment in communication. Meaning, I like communication.

Note to self: maybe unpack what is beneath the need to buy a pricey gift early on.

Fast forward to a new relationship. I was crazy about this guy and every time he came over, he brought something. Kind of quirky things like a videogame or a bag of Oreos. But never empty handed. So when he tells me he has a gift for me for Hanukkah, I know I want to get him something. But what do you get someone you barely know? The Vuori Ponto Pant. Cozy. Comfy. Done. Again, the perfect gift. That relationship ended a few months later due to religious differences.

Now it is a full year later, and a new guy is taking me to Mexico on Christmas Day. When I say new, we literally planned our trip on our second date. We celebrated our 4 week anniversary while in Sexico, er Mexico. Anyway, as a thank you, I got him…yep, the Vuori Ponto Pant. We had an incredible time, which is worthy of its own blog, but parted ways a month or so later due to some personal struggles he was having.

The worst part was that all three men looked amazing in these pants. So naturally when things ended, I imagined their new girlfriends getting to enjoy that view. And picturing anyone with your ex never sits too well. And why the heck do we do it? Ugh.

Now it is June 2023 and the new guy that I have been dating for a few weeks has a birthday coming up. Have I learned? I was definitely tempted as he would have looked so good in those pants. With my friend’s advice in my head, and just in case there was a correlation between the gift and the demise of the relationship, I decided to get him a book instead. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. We had talked about it on our first date so it made sense and it showed I listened. And now, the thought of his new girlfriend reading that book doesn’t really bother me.

Relationships end for so many reasons. The four relationships mentioned in this post were all with really great guys. Maybe love conquers all. Maybe it doesn’t tho. Maybe none of these were Love. Just lowercase love. Maybe the guy you meet during the pandemic is just a bright spot during a dark time. Maybe the religious guy was an expander to show great connection and generosity. Maybe the Mexico guy was to remind me that I do go for it and take chances. And maybe the guy who got the book is the only one I still think about and who I would want to have those pants. But then there’s the girlfriend and all. So, never mind. 🙂 XO