As Thanksgiving and the holiday season swiftly approaches, I have been thinking of all the things I have been so fortunate to have, and all the things I am grateful for. As I was sitting in my room this week procrastinating the ten thousand assignments I had due, I realized I was so grateful for something that I think many people tend to push away and forget about.
The thing I am so grateful for, which I know you all are dying to figure out, is my past relationship. I know, I must be insane. The truth is though, almost everyone will have at least one in their lifetime, and as much as you want to push it away now that it is over, sometimes it’s good to remember the relationship that once was. Now, before you all start guessing that this is going to be some letter written by a bitter girl about a breakup, let me just tell you you’re wrong. This letter is to all the people who have made someone blind in a relationship, good or bad.
Dear You,
I want to start by saying thank you, thank you for all the memories. Thank you for the laughs, the inside jokes, the movie nights, and the countless other things that you did for me over the years. You were such a big part of my life and as sad as I was to let that go, I realize now, this was the best thing for the both of us.
There are so many different things that could be said about relationships that don’t last and I think that a lot of people tend to dwell on the bad side of them, but I want to turn it around and check out the bright side for once so I want to start with, thank you. Thank you for making me blind to what other people think of me. Being with you taught me to realize that the only person’s opinion that matters about myself, is mine. Thank you for showing me that not only is it okay to let someone love me, but it is also ok to love myself. Thank you for showing me that I deserve to be happy and that I shouldn’t let anyone get in the way of that, even you.
Now aside from all the amazing things I realized while being with you, I’ve learned a lot being away from you too. I have realized you made me blind to how dependent I was on you. I needed you to survive and now I know that that isn’t what a healthy relationship feels like. Your entitlement towards a say in my every move became normal to me and I got lost in a relationship that became a dictatorship, and the leader was you.
Saying goodbye to you and everything we had become was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my entire life, but without you I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I have become a strong, independent, opinionated woman and without you I don’t know if I would be this way.
So thank you. Thank you for everything you made me realize about myself. Thank you for helping me form the person I have become. Most importantly though, thank you for making me blind, because now that I can see, I will never let anyone make me blind again.