I think the universe has a way of teaching us lessons over and over again until we we've mastered ourselves.
In my case, I got back with my ex several times. And like clockwork, each time she burned me. It was a lesson I had to learn, and the universe kept presenting me with the same challenge over and over again until I decided to do something different.
One thing I've learned is that my best thinking is what got me into my mess. And it wasn't until I truly surrendered to the fact that maybe some of the fine folks on this board had ideas that were better than mine, that I began to grow and experience life in a new light.