Dear Past Me,
2015 was a rough year, huh? You fell in love. You had your heart broken. You thought it would never get better, didn’t you? You spent way too many hours crying in your best friend’s car. (Thank her for that every chance you get because you were seriously an obnoxious wreck.) It was a bad year for you. The sad thing, really, was that you started 2016 just as sad as you had ended the previous year.
A year later, you are so much better, and I’m so proud of you. I bet you never thought you’d get to this point.
Let’s talk about a few things, shall we?
First, believe it or not, the pain ended. It took awhile, but one morning you woke up and weren’t sad anymore. Your friends had everything to do with that. Thank them. And then thank them again. Once is not enough.
Second, The One was right in front of you. I mean that. He was right there, watching the other one hurt you and kind of hating him for it. (Quietly so, but could you blame him, really?) What followed was the most unexpected and awesome love.
Which brings me to this: Past Self, why did you have to be clueless and naïve and ignore his messages? He cared and you completely ignored him simply because you actually wanted the other one to traipse back in with halfhearted apologies and declarations of “care” that were all for show. You deserved more than that, and I’m happy to say you have that now. You can scoff at everything else.
Past Self, you once believed that relationships and friendships were separate entities. Your significant other couldn’t be someone you could be 100% yourself with, right? They couldn’t see your true colors and everything because they would run. You had to be somebody else. Sorry, but that’s not true. You know that now, and you’re grateful for the months you’ve spent learning that with your best friend by your side.
Let me remind you: Eventually, the pain ends and you feel absolutely nothing toward the people who hurt you. Not anger. Not hate. Indifference. Life goes on, and you’re so much better now.
Love,
The healthier, happier version of you