What constitutes a "rebound relationship"? The Canadian Press, a news Web site, ran an article examining Hollywood relationships, and the propensity some stars seem to have of leaping from one relationship right into another.

The article sites a few examples: Chris Evert and Greg Norman have announced that they will marry, less than a year after their respective divorces. J. Lo ended her engagement to Ben Affleck, and six months later was walking down the aisle with Marc Anthony, whose own divorce was finalized just four days earlier.

I think we all understand that Hollywood is a different kind of place — and that's being kind — yet it seems that we do have a tendency to judge anyone who enters into a new romantic relationship shortly after leaving their last one as "on the rebound". But is it really just a rebound? A friend of mine recently left a four-year relationship, and less than six months later started a new relationship with someone he'd previously been just friends with. I admit that I was surprised to say the least, and I asked him how he could do it.

I thought his response was really interesting. He told me that although they didn't officially "break up" until after four years, their relationship really should have ended after two years — they just didn't know how to do it. This article quoted a counsellor at Dalhousie University as saying "People can be married for 25, 30, 40, 50 years; they may not necessarily be in a partnership for 25, 30, 40, 50 years,"

While no one will deny that leaving a long-term relationship can be difficult, with each relationship we leave we learn a little bit more about the relationship we want. It may be easy, and in some cases comforting, to look at someone who has quickly entered into another partnership and say they must be on the rebound. But if they've found the relationship that they believe will work for them, then I say well done! When you find what you want, there's no point in waiting.