A FUNNY WAY TO FIX A BROKEN HEART

How to Fix a Broken Heart
By Padma Atluri
O, The Oprah Magazine | From the January 2010 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

What's the best way to get over love gone bad? Eternal optimist Padma Atluri consults her crystal ball.


You may have found that you can't do it alone—can't seem to mend your broken heart. You've tried Chunky Monkey ice cream and spa scrubs, and neither buoyed your spirits or exfoliated your pain the way you wanted.

The truth is, short of a new man, what you really need is hope. And when you can't find it within yourself, you need to do what any smart woman would do: Buy it. For $150. You need to see a psychic.

Sure, it may be healthier to see a therapist, volunteer somewhere, or train for a marathon. But the thing is, when a psychic (as opposed to your mother) says that Mr. Right is just around the corner, you're going to believe her. And once you're a "believe-her," you'll start to live again. Who cares about your ex when Mr. Right is just around the corner! The question is, which corner? Which state? You'll have to see another psychic to find out!

Or maybe you'll have to see seven in one night. That's what I did. (It was a party, the readings were free, what can I say?) My friends accused me of standing in line after line simply to get the answers—and the future—I wanted. That was not true. I stood in line after line to get a consensus. And when four out of seven psychics reported that love would descend upon me within the coming year, it was like a vitamin B shot straight to my heart.

Of course, relying on psychics is not without pitfalls, including the slight matter of accuracy. Let's face it, psychic predictions are rarely realized (especially if, like me, you stipulate up front that payment is contingent on good news only ). Somehow, though, it doesn't matter. Hope, even false hope, is enough fuel to face the next day, and eventually, the next date. So whether it's a Nora Ephron movie marathon, a friend whose compliments you can actually accept, or, yes, even a psychic, get yourself some hope. I predict it's right around the corner.

This story is part of O 's Live Your Best Year Toolkit


MY THOUGHTS

crazy! absolutely! but then love does make us crazy.