I know you have always been around, but I am grateful we are never in the same place at one time. You can't seem to keep up and are always one step behind. I recognize that you want to be my shadow and keep following me around everywhere, but truth is you don't hold that kind of power over me anymore.
If you must know, then yes, I do thank you for all the lessons you taught me. Your character holds both the fun lessons and the tough ones. Without you, I wouldn't have book knowledge or common sense. I really do appreciate what you taught me.
You are a bittersweet thing because you contain sweet memories that bring joy to my heart, but some days you just try to haunt me with the mistakes I have made or make me sad, simply because those memories are there.
Without you, I would have never met my family, my friends, teachers, mentors, love-interests, coaches, or Jesus Christ. You hold all of those people in your grasp and mostly, I feel blessed by those you introduced me to. There are days I get angry by the people that slipped away, but I have to remember that not everyone is a part of every chapter of my life.
For a long time, I hated you. I felt like I couldn't defeat you. You kept nagging me and reminding me of all the ways I didn't live up to certain expectations. The minute I felt accomplishment, you beat me back down with reminders of where I had failed. For too long, you defined me, and I also let others define me by you. It was then that I realized our relationship needed to change, but I think you knew that all along. You had just hoped I wouldn't recognize that.
You, Past, have happened. You, Past, have helped shape me. You, Past, helped me to grow. You, Past, taught me a lot about myself. You, Past gave me many sweet memories.
There is a place you belong, however, and that is not in the Present. I am no longer defined by you, I am only sometimes influenced by you. We can only get along when you say where you were meant to.
The rest is history.
Sincerely,
The Present Me