"And in the end, letting go was a lot like finding love. I had to learn to say goodbye to the one who gave me the courage to say hello." -R. M. Drake

For weeks I have been contemplating the mood in which this would be written, and as I sat and thought about it, I knew it would only be right to include a little bit of everything.

If we are being completely honest, I do thank you for quite a lot actually. First, I want to thank you for letting me love you. You were my first real love and I felt a way toward you that I had not even known was possible. It was the deepest and strongest, but also most vulnerable I had ever felt. I think that's what got me. I allowed myself to be completely and utterly weak when it came to you, and damn, did you know it.

I want to thank you for showing me what I deserve by showing me exactly what I didn't. I didn't deserve the constant guessing and always having to seek reassurance. I didn't deserve feeling unappreciated after working my butt off to be what I thought was a "good girlfriend." I didn't deserve to be ignored, especially when you knew how much I hated it. I didn't deserve spending hours getting ready to look cute to go out with you and then not even receiving a compliment. I didn't deserve the games, the heartache, or the insecurities that came with being with you, and never will I allow myself to be treated like that again, so thank you.

On another note, though, thank you for the fun times. Throughout the time of our relationship, you truly became my best friend. I told you everything, I cried to you, I sought comfort in you. You showed me the meaning behind the phrase "Home isn't a place, it's a feeling," because home became anywhere with you. Whether it was late night trips to Shari's or IHOP or laying in bed all night watching "The Office," time spent with you was always time well spent. In the least cliche way possible, you made me feel alive, but over time the feeling of home began to fade and I felt unwanted and day by day. Home was no longer with you.

Lastly, thank you for showing me that I am perfectly okay without you. The sun will continue to rise and set and life will go on. I no longer need to hear from you every day. I no longer have to guess where we stand or what we will fight about today. And in the same way that I found the feeling of home with you, I will find it with someone else someday too.

I am not meaning to make this seem to be some sort of hate letter, because you are still a very important person in my life. Things just didn't work out. We both became different people than we were in the beginning and we were on different pages in our lives. So even though it may not seem like it, I really do wish you the best, and for one final time, thank you.