An Open Letter to My Exes
Dear People I Used to Know,
It’s been years since I last spoke to any of you, and honestly, we’re all strangers to one another by now. For a brief period of time in our lives, we were almost one and the same. But I’m a completely different person by now, and I’m sure you are too. I’m sure we don’t laugh alike anymore, you’ve acquired new favorite memories (that don’t include me), and I’m sure you rarely come across anything that reminds you of me. Because that’s how it is for me, most of the time.
I truly hope you’re doing well. That you always have the confidence you need, you have enough money, and you always have enough love and attention. I hope you’re healthy, and I hope you’re happy. I hope you love yourself. I hope you can still remember the good in our relationship, because that’s a part of who you were, and it’s part of who I was. It’s part of the growing process that has helped to shape you & I into the people we are today. And I certainly hope you’ve continued to grow beyond who you were then, and continue learning without me, just as I have without you.
Thank you for teaching me some life lessons, from the time we dated, to all the way up through our break up. Be it the relationships I ended, or the relationship you ended. One of you taught me the importance of always having a spare tire & tools on me. One of you taught me to stay humble & keep a positive attitude no matter what. And the last of you taught me the importance of a wrinkle free shirt & confidence. Thank you for these things! I genuinely mean it. I will carry these lessons in my head, and in my heart.
You also taught me some valuable, difficult, life lessons that I couldn’t have learned elsewhere. One of you taught me that some people will try to take advantage of me, financially, sexually, and emotionally. One of you taught me that, no matter how well you think you know a person, you don’t. And that you can change in the blink of an eye. You put your wants before your respect for me, and before my feelings. You didn’t care that you were going to hurt me. And one of you taught me that, if he emotionally abuses you, he won’t stop. And if he hits you once, he’ll do it again. These are some lessons that someone shouldn’t have to learn, but you made me do it anyways. I’m sorry too, for how childish I may have acted when we broke up. That was incredibly wrong, and I truly regret it. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me, like I have you.
We weren’t good for each other then, and we damn sure wouldn’t be good for each other now. But, I don’t regret the times we had together. Sometimes I even smile thinking about your memory. I understand that it’s impossible to erase you from my life. And I don’t want to. I can never say that I didn’t care for you then, or that you weren’t important to me or that I never loved you. Because you were, and I really did. Things are different now though. At first, I couldn’t get over you when we broke up, even if I called the shots to end it. I truly grieved over the loss of a relationship with all three of you. But grieving, and then forgiving, and then forgetting you, was so worth it. My wounds healed, some turned to scars, but most just faded to memories. Thank you for those memories. And your time. And your attention. Your love. Your kindnesses. Your money. Your patience. And your virtues. Thank you. I wish you all the happiness you deserve and then some, and I wish for someone really wonderful to love you & for you to love them too. I know you’ll probably never read this silly “open letter to my exes”, but if you do, just know, I mean what I’ve said from the bottom of my heart.
I love you always,
Your long lost friend, Sarah
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