May 30, 2002 | 9:36 AM

It�s hard to let go. Really and truly let go.

It�s hard to say good-bye.

It�s hard to say I can�t love you anymore because loving you is only causing me pain.

It's better to cut things off entirely than hang by a thread. Sometimes you just know there's nothing to gain by holding on.

The people in your life should bring out the best in you, not the worst. The people in your life should make you feel happy and not terrible about yourself. There's so much more going on in this situation than I even know about, than anyone has told me, but I can sense it intuitively, and that hurts. It's better to just stop caring than care about something that can't possibly be any good for you.

Sometimes you have to cut your losses. It hurts like hell, but sometimes it's the only thing to do.