Never the same love twice

Love is unrepeatable.

F Scott Fitzgerald revisited this theme over and over again in his life, including in his most famous story, The Great Gatsby.

And while Gatsby is a work of fiction, Fitzgerald’s life closely mirrored the story.

As a young soldier, he fell in love with Zelda Sayre while stationed in Alabama and he immediately began courting her.

Within a year, the two were already engaged, but Zelda quickly called it off due to his “lack of financial stability.”

In other words, he was broke and she wanted more.

Fitzgerald was devastated.

He was an aspiring author who had just had his manuscript for his first novel rejected.

So he used both rejections as motivation and set off to rewrite his manuscript in the hopes of getting it finally accepted.

It worked, and This Side of Paradise immediately launched him into literary stardom.

With his newfound fame and money, Zelda now felt confident marrying him and she became Zelda Fitzgerald.

And the rest is history...

Just not good history.

What awaited them in marriage was constant jealousy, drinking, and fights over their work.

By the end of the marriage, the Fitzgeralds struggled financially and mentally as Zelda had to be put in a mental hospital.

Love is unrepeatable.

They could’ve built a better foundation for their love at the start, but as soon as she rejected him, they set the precedent that the relationship revolved around money and “means”.

Fitzgerald knew all of this, and yet he became successful solely in an attempt to win back an old love.

Unfortunately for him, it worked.

But shouldn't you question a love that is conditional on your success?

Shouldn't you think twice about someone who dated several men while engaged to you the first time around?

It isn't a sin to be rich, but it isn't one to be poor either.

If F Scott Fitzgerald had kept this in mind, he may have saved himself (and Zelda given her mental struggles) a lot of hardship that came directly as a result of their relationship.

Over 3,000 years ago, the Ancient Greek poet Homer explains why time’s constant march forward is a blessing and not a curse:

“We're doomed.”

That’s great.

Remembering that we will die is the only meaningful source of inspiration.

There's a feeling you get in your soul when you close your eyes and imagine yourself dead for a few moments. Hold that feeling when you open your eyes and use it as fuel.

Desperately show the object of your love that you will never be here again.

When you hesitate to pursue that person or that career, the Grim Reaper is laughing at you. He laughs at you the way I laugh when I watch Jay Gatsby trying to win back a lover who no longer exists.

Love is unrepeatable.

If your window for a lover has passed, then just keep on moving.

“There are all kinds of love, but…”

But if that lover is in front of you, DO SOMETHING.

“…Never the same love twice.”

The best chance you have at maintaining that love in the future for that woman, exercise routine, or hobby, is to love it now and grow with it.

Who knows — maybe you can grow separately in the same direction and meet up down the line.

But in a world of death and infinite paths, is it wise to forsake the love right in front of you?