Looking back, how you betrayed my trust was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. If you didn't, I'd probably still be with you. My emotions and how strongly I cared about you got in the way of seeing what was best for me. If you didn't hurt me, I'd still be unhappy. I'd still feel trapped in the chaos of your life. I'd still feel underappreciated and worst of all I would still feel/"think" that I needed you.
But the truth is... You did betray my trust. You did break my heart. However, it's something I don't think I can ever thank you enough for. I don't need you. I feel liberated. I am no longer constantly confused, but know exactly what I want. I have become exactly who I want to be in your absence. I've realized how capable I am of creating my own path. How comfortable I am being alone and meeting amazing people in unexpected places. I've realized I deeply love so many people, ideas, and pursuits that have opened opportunities and created lasting memories in my life.
If I still loved you, you and all your problems would have obscured this. I wouldn't have been able to have this life that I love now.
So this is my thank you. Thank you for hurting me back then, because I have never felt so fully healed as I do now.
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I wish I could upvote this like 50 times. This is 100% the way I feel about my ex. I wish I could have figured out all I was capable of without getting emotionally curb-stomped, but even still, I can't trade those realizations for the world.
Good post.
Please be considerate and constructive with your comments. Anonymity is not a blanket in which you can hide under to spook and scare other writers like a malicious five-year-old. It's more like a safety blanket, as far as ill-conceived metaphors go.